Australia has a number of visa options for individuals who wish to work or invest in Australia. These visas are designed to target genuine skill shortages, diversify business expertise and increase entrepreneurial talent, without displacing Australian workers.
Australia’s migrant intake will be substantially down this financial year – possibly 25,000 below the 190,000 planned figures – led by reductions in the number of skilled and sponsored working visas. The migration program has been at 190,000 since 2012-13 but dropped to 183,000 last financial year and will fall further again this year.
Migration and child program outcomes
Numbers of migration visas granted.
| Stream | 1 July 2016 – 31 December 2016 | 1 July 2017 – 31 December 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| Family | 26,373 | 23,688 |
| Skill | 65,909 | 54,349 |
| Special Eligibility | 195 | 153 |
| Total | 92,477 | 78,190 |
Change in Visa Application Charges (Visa Fee) effective 1 July 2018
Australia Visa Applicants may please note that the Department of Home Affairs reviews its Visa Application Charges (VAC) twice in a year and the changes are released on 1 January and 1 July respectively.
The new prices will be released on 1 July 2018. However, as prices may change, it is recommended that you make arrangements accordingly to verify the applicable Visa Application Charge before lodging an application on or after 1 July 2018.
From 1 July 2018, many governmental initiatives will be implemented which will deeply impact Australia’s migrant community. This includes a series of reforms on various skilled visa categories in Australia’s migration program.
The Government is changing the eligibility requirements for some permanent skilled visas “to better align the permanent and temporary programs”.
The department claims that these measures are intended to sharpen the focus of Australia’s skilled migration programs, to ensure they better meet Australia’s skills needs.
Changes to point-based skilled migration
Australia’s skilled migration program is a points-based system designed to attract highly qualified and experienced professionals to best meet Australia’s skills needs.
There are a number of skilled migration visas that require applicants to score a minimum number of points to qualify for permanent skilled migration.
The government announced that from 1 July 2018 the points threshold will now be increased from 60 to 65 for skilled – independent, nominated and regional sponsored visa categories.
