Australia 2023 Visa Opportunities You Must Know
Crucial improvements have already been made to Australia's migration policies and system since the Labor government took office last May 2022.
An increase to the permanent migration program in 2022/23 from 160,000 to 195,000 places for skilled and family visas.
The number of skilled visas available as part of the program increased significantly from 79,600 to 142,400
19,000 refugees on temporary protection visas will finally be allowed to apply for permanent residency in Australia
Over 3.4 million visas processed and finalized since the 1st of June 2022
Although the new administration has been remarkable in dealing with the immigration issues and problems, they implied with the upcoming changes and improvements that they are not done yet with the job.
Visa key options you need to know for 2023:
New visas for certain countries
The Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV) will soon be able to welcome 3,000 new migrants from Pacific countries and Timor Leste. This new visa will be annually allocated through a ballot process and be offered at places available on Australia's permanent migration program.
Priority processing for New Zealanders
New Zealanders will benefit from faster processing of Skilled Independent (Subclass 189) visas , with the government dropping certain requirements. These changes mean that NZ citizens living in Australia may no longer need to prove at least five years residency in the country, not be subjected to strict health criteria, and be exempted to certain taxable income thresholds.
New Zealand stream visa holders will be able to access the benefits of permanent residence more quickly, including being allowed immediate access to the National Disability Insurance Scheme and automatic Australian citizenship for their children born in Australia. They will also have their citizenship pathway fast-tracked from 1 January 2023.
State-sponsored visas up for grabs
A larger regional allocation means more visas available through the state and territories. The Department of Home Affairs set a planning level.
31,000 places for state and territory nominated visas (subclass 190) in 2022/23
34,000 places in the regional category (subclass 491)
5,000 visas for the business innovation and investment program (subclass 188).
States and territories made sure that the criteria for state-nominated visas are more relaxed and achievable. In this notion, NSW changed the requirements for its visa applicants making the previous published points scores and work experience guides for the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) be removed due to increased availability of the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
Easier family reunion
The Albanese government has made it easier for families to reunite, introducing demand-driven partner visas and child visas in 2022/23.
This means there is no capacity limit on the total number of these visas that can be granted each year. For the financial year 2022-2023, the government expects to provide about 40,500 for partner visas, and 3,000 for child visas
Change to processing of visas
Applications for teachers and healthcare professionals have now been placed in top priority which is now being assessed in just three days after the government stopped using the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL) to rank applications.
Ministerial Direction No. 100 set new rules for applications to be prioritized. Applications are now being decided in the following order of priority:
For both provisional and permanent skilled visa applications, applicants outside of Australia are given preference within each category.
Visa processing for skilled and work migration to ease this year to address workforce demand
Australia is reviewing its visa and immigration process to implement a faster system and address workforce demand. Review results and changes are expected to come out this February.
Bouncing back from the COVID border closure during 2020, Australia is still among the top options for skilled migrants for its strong economy and lifestyle. While the border restrictions began to lighten even before the opening of the financial year 2022-2023, Australia is still looking to change its processes inviting skilled migrants and even backpackers to the country.
The National Australia Bank (NAB) survey showed that there will be an expected wage growth. In addition, according to NAB, one in three businesses want to hire more people. Workers are needed in almost every industry. That includes those in hospitality and tourism, construction, technology, agriculture, mining, teachers and nurses.
We're back in business and ready to help achieve your migration goals
The new and continuous improvements in Australian migration policies only show that the government is not yet done with its goal of attracting and retaining migrants. With these relaxed and doable visa requirements, the best time to start planning your migration path is right now. Start your year right and take advantage of all the opportunities presented.
