The Labor government, which came to power in May, has released its first federal budget, replacing the FY2022–23 budget announced by the Liberal government in March.
Some migration-related details had been known in advance — at the Jobs and Skills Summit, agreement was reached to raise the FY2022–23 migration programme ceiling to 195,000, with the majority allocated to the skilled stream. Plus more resources and funding!.
However, there are still surprises!Subclass 189 and parent migration are the biggest winners!
-The overall programme ceiling remains at 195,000, with the skilled stream still gaining 32,500 places
-Significant cuts to the Business Innovation and Investor stream quota
-The extra 2,500 family stream places go entirely to parent migration — the parent category now has 8,500 places, up 4,000 on the previous financial year.
For FY2022–23 so far,the employer-sponsored stream has the highest allocation, followed by Subclass 189/190/491 + 494, all at 30,000 or above,bringing the various skilled streams broadly into balance.
Quota source
As of the time of writing, the Department of Home Affairs website has not yet updated the quota figures — the previous version has been removed, with the updated version to be published in due course.
Additionally, $576 million will be allocated over the next four years for visa processing!
Newstars Analysis
Subclass 189,32,100 places — nearly double the original allocation, which is why the first three invitation rounds were so generous. As at end of August,the total Subclass 189 backlog stood at 15,327 applications, of which approximately 10,000 were in the New Zealand Stream. However, the Subclass 189 points-based system prioritises offshore applicants,and there is also a backlog to clear in the New Zealand Stream. Even after clearing the entire backlog, there would still be 16,773 places remaining — and given that 25,000 invitations were issued in the first three rounds alone, the acceptance rate may not be high,but opportunities remain — worth monitoring!
Subclass 190 and 491,31,000 and 34,000 (most of the regional allocation goes to Subclass 491)nothing more needs to be said —this is already reflected in both grant processing speeds and state nomination transition quotas.The Subclass 190 and 491 backlogs both decreased through to end of August, making them two of the most active grant categories. Combined transition quotas total 30,610 for Subclass 190 and 18,550 for Subclass 491,at this stage the transition quotas across states appear more than adequate, so final increases may not be dramatic — news should arrive by Christmas at the latest.
Employer-sponsored,35,000 places,same as Subclass 189 — a direct federal government response to skills shortages,the hope being that with this many places, Subclass 186 processing can speed up; currently Subclass 482 is faster.
Business and investor migration,the quota has been nearly halved — the biggest blow —our first thought is whether grant processing will slow down even further…the business and investor migration visa application backlog is already severe, with very long waiting times.
Global Talent Independent programme (GTI),as expected — not supported by Labor,the focus will be primarily on offshore applicants; however, at the MIA Summit, officials indicated that while they do not support it, they will not abolish it hastily.
OK, at least the tone for this financial year is set! Subclass 189 is clearly an opportunity — the latest round has already started inviting accountants and IT professionals, a sign of broad recovery. State-nominated Subclass 491 and 190 are also strongly supported — at least much better than the previous few years!
Moreover, judging from state and Subclass 189 invitations, the Labor government appears intent on making up for two years of neglect of overseas applicants during COVID, with the balance tilting in their favour. Onshore applicants have been receiving invitations consistently, so there are opportunities both onshore and offshore.
Employer-sponsored — the undisputed favourite of the federal government and businesses of all sizes, with the highest total quota. Isn’t that enough?
Skills assessment, points evaluation, lodging an EOI, or a comprehensive assessment consultation?
Feel free to contact our team below!
Study abroad and migration tips — video library
Click the image to view featured articles
Previous recommendations
Western Australia issues 4,500+ expressions of interest — accountants and IT professionals score at 85!
Highly competitive migration for your field? Hard to get an invitation on high points? Would 65 points for PR work for you?
Most onshore applications for Subclass 485/500/408 and other temporary visas temporarily do not require a medical examination.
Most onshore applications for Subclass 485/500/408 and other temporary visas temporarily do not require a medical examination.
Most onshore applications for Subclass 485/500/408 and other temporary visas temporarily do not require a medical examination.
Migration information sharing and Q&A community
Step 1: press and hold to add our consultant
Step 2: after adding,
Attention!Please verify you have reached agenuineNewstars consultant!
Subclass 189 final invitations for accountants and IT — NSW Subclass 491 adds priority pathway!Tap“Original link” — Migration Weekly Bulletin (video edition)
