One of the biggest criticisms of Australia’s migration system is its focus on temporary migration.
From the lead up to the federal election and since being elected, the Labor government has been adamant about potentially scrapping temporary migration in favour of permanent residence.
What’s the difference between a temporary visa and a permanent visa?
Currently, there are permanent and temporary visas available. Permanent visas allow the visa holder to stay in Australia indefinitely and eventually apply for citizenship if eligible, whilst temporary visas enable the visa holder to stay in Australia for a fixed amount of time before having to return to their home country. The length of time a temporary visa holder can stay in Australia is determined by the visa they have been granted.
The downside of temporary migration
Unfortunately, temporary migration has made the Australian workplace vulnerable. This was especially evident during the Covid-19 pandemic. When Australia’s borders closed many migrants on temporary visas returned to their home countries causing labour shortages that are still being felt across the country.
Currently, it takes two to three years to get a visa to come to Australia and once granted migrants are able to stay a couple of years before having to return home. In a time where global competition exists to attract talent and countries such as the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand are doing all they can to welcome migrants, Australia is lacking. Australia’s migration system is complicated, expensive and has extraordinarily long visa processing wait times. These factors alone have done nothing to lift the profile of Australia as a favourable country for migrants to make their home and the Labor Government has recognised this.
What does a focus on permanent migration mean?
Permanent migration will help ease labour shortages especially in occupations such as nursing, aged and disability care and engineering, to name a few.
Further cementing the Labor Government’s stance on a shift towards permanent migration, the number of permanent migration visas available in 2022 – 23 has increased from 160,000 to 195,000.
There are many benefits to permanent residency for Australia and migrants. Once a migrant is granted permanent residence, they can:
- remain in Australia indefinitely
- work for any employer
- sponsor relatives
- access Medicare and other Centrelink benefits
- apply for Australian citizenship
- undertake study
- buy property
While permanent residence has many advantages for migrants, Australia benefits as well. Permanent residence provides a permanent, more reliable workforce for employers, it contributes to population growth and provides revenue for the Australian economy.
The Australian migration system needs to be competitive in order for Australia to become a destination of choice for migrants. Removing the focus on short-term migrants in favour of permanency and citizenship is a step in the right direction.
If you would like to learn more about any aspect of migration, contact the experienced team of registered migration agents at Visa Solutions Australia on 1800 828 008.
Looking to migrate to Australia? Get in touch today to see how we can help with the application process.
