Australia: New Federal Budget Supports Several Changes to Immigration Policy

The Australian government has announced several key immigration changes under the 2023-24 budget. These changes include the addition of 190,000 permanent migration spots, with 70 percent allocated to skilled streams, and the onboarding of 500 case officers to expedite visa processing. Temporary Graduate visa holders with specific degrees will benefit from an extension of post-study work rights by two years. Furthermore, international students in the Aged Care sector will have their standard work hours cap lifted until the end of 2023. The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme will also see an increase in training spots in critical sectors. However, starting July 1, 2023, most visa application charges will increase by six percent, with categories such as Visitor, Working Holiday, and Training visas (among others) experiencing a 15 percent increase, and Business Innovation and Investment visas seeing a 40 percent increase. Alongside these changes, the government will reintroduce work restrictions for student visa holders, but with a higher cap of 48 hours per fortnight, up from the previous 40 hours.