The Joint Standing Committee on Migration has released their final report Migration, Pathway to Nation Building – Parliament of Australia (aph.gov.au), making 73 recommendations regarding the migration system which include:
- the reestablishment of a stand-alone Department of Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs
- initiating mechanisms that will reduce visa backlogs, modernise and simplify the visa system.
- abolishing current skills list in favour of Jobs and Skills Australia lists
- increasing age limits to 50 for the Employer Nomination Scheme
- abolishing Labour Market Testing
- improving skills and qualification recognition
- increasing refugee employment assistance and services
- reassessing definitions of regional Australia and increase incentives for regional settlement
- reviewing DAMA and Labour Agreement programs
- changes to the health requirements to simplify criteria and remove specialist education costs from the definition of community service costs
- developing more appropriate visa settings for the family stream particularly for parents
Erickson Insights & Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions.