The total number of skilled visas on offer will rise to 109,900 about 30,000 more than 2021-22 planning levels
The increase in Australia’s permanent skilled intake is being welcomed in that country. The Australian government is shifting the composition of Australia’s permanent skilled migrant intake for 2022-23, moving back towards visas with a track record of selecting younger, skilled migrants best placed to succeed in Australia. At the same time, the total number of skilled visas on offer will rise to 109,900 about 30,000 more than 2021-22 planning levels.
The Grattan Institute’s 2021 report showed that those who gained a permanent skilled visa to Australia typically lived and worked there for many decades. This meant that policy decisions affecting who gained a visa in the first place could have compounding effects over many years.
The government estimated that primary holders of permanent employer-sponsored visas pay $557,000 more in taxes than they receive in public services and benefits over their lifetimes. Primary holders of Skilled Independent visas pay $386,000 more in taxes than they can expect to receive in return
However, there are still more changes needed to fix Australia’s migration programme and that includes abolishing some visas programmes that don’t make any economic sense, and simplifying the sponsorship process for businesses and migrants.
There’s a big increase in skilled worker visas. The number of skilled worker visas – allocated via employer sponsorship or the points test – rose to 91,652 in 2022-23, up from 50,900 this financial year. This had come from both the increase in the number of visas and the composition shift. Employer sponsorship will increase 8,000 to a total of 30,000 permanent skilled visas, and the points-tested Skilled Independent category has been tripled to 16,652 visas. Migrants selected through these programmes were highly skilled, and typically earned higher incomes than Australians of similar ages.
They also generated a much larger economic benefit to the Australian community. For instance, the government estimated that primary holders of permanent employer-sponsored visas pay $557,000 more in taxes than they receive in public services and benefits over their lifetimes. Primary holders of Skilled Independent visas pay $386,000 more in taxes than they can expect to receive in return.
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