Australian Government announces new regional visas

A recent announcement has been made by the Australian government regarding the migration program of the country. The new target ceiling for visas has been set at 160,000 for the financial year of 2019-2020.

This showcases a reduction from previous years by a constant amount. For instance, in the year 2017-2018, 162417 visas were issued even though the planned level was 190,000 visas. A similar trend was also seen in 2017-18.

Considering that this year already has a planned amount of 160,000 visas, the chances are that the actual amount that will be issued will be lower than the target as well.

What does the proposal say?

As per the proposal made by the Australian government, skilled migration will remain the focal point of the program.

Apart from these, two new skilled regional provisional visas along with one permanent visa will be started from November 2019 and 2022 respectively. This is in line with the vision of the Australian government to encourage migrants into regional Australia. This includes places outside Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Gold Coast, and Brisbane. The regional area definition will also be changed.

Here is the type of regional visas that have been proposed:

• Skilled Employer Sponsored Visa: To avail this, one requires sponsorship from employer. The organization must be present in any regional area. Around 700 occupations will be accepted under this visa.
• Skilled Regional Visa: One gets nominated by the territory or state government or get sponsorship from a family member located in the designated area.These two visas will remain valid for five years after being issued. This helps in applying for permanent residency in the regional areas of Australia.