Australia’s 2024-25 budget proposed major changes to the immigration system that will aim to attract skilled migrants to drive economic growth, address critical skills shortages in the country, and ensure the integrity of the migration process.
The proposed changes to the immigration system prioritise the needs of the Australian economy and address the skills gap in the local workforce instead of focusing on a numbers-based system.
The 2024-25 migration program is set to provide 185,000 migration places, with 132,200 places (71.5 per cent) allocated to the skill stream and 52,500 (28.4 per cent) places allocated to the family stream.
Employer-sponsored visas will rise to 44,000 places from 36,825 places in the last migration program. This increase is set to delight business owners in Australia, as they will be able to employ overseas talent to fill skills shortages created by a subpar local workforce.
Regional, state- and territory-nominated visas will also increase in allocated places compared to last year. Regional visas will rise to 33,000 places from 32,300, while state- and territory-nominated visas will also get bumped up to 33,000 places from 30,400.
However, Skilled Independent visas have seen a drop in allocation, from 30,375 places last year to 16,900 in 2024-25.
The following table illustrates a detailed breakdown of Australia’s allocated visa places for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 migration programs:
| Visa Stream | Visa Category | 2023-24 Planning Levels | 2024-25 Planning Levels |
| Skill | Employer Sponsored | 36,825 | 44,000 |
| Skilled Independent | 30,375 | 16,900 | |
| Regional | 32,300 | 33,000 | |
| State/Territory Nominated | 30,400 | 33,000 | |
| Business Innovation and Investment | 1,900 | 1,000 | |
| Global Talent (Independent) | 5,000 | 4,000 | |
| Distinguished Talent | 300 | 300 | |
| Skill Stream Total | 137,100 | 132,200 | |
| Family | Partner | 40,500 | 40,500 |
| Parent | 8,500 | 8,500 | |
| Child | 3,000 | 3,000 | |
| Other family | 500 | 500 | |
| Family Stream Total | 52,500 | 52,500 | |
| Other | Special Eligibility | 400 | 300 |
| Total Migration Program | 190,000 | 185,000 |
The Australian government has pledged AUD 18.3 million over four years to bolster the migration system and support economic objectives.
