Australian Migration Program planning levels as per 2024–25 Federal Budget!

The Australian federal government’s 2024/2025 budget introduces several significant reforms to the Australian Migration system.

In my recent posts, I’ve discussed the exploitation of Canada start-up visa, highlighting significant changes made by IRCC Now we see Australia following the same steps, reducing migration levels, and permanently closing the Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) (subclass 188) visa category.

Here are some key points from the Federal Budget:

Migration Program Planning: The 2024-25 permanent Migration Program sets a planning level of 185,000 places, with 71% allocated to the Skill stream and 28% to the Family stream, totaling 132,200 place

Overall Migration Numbers
2022/2023: 528,000
2023/2024: 395,000
2024/2025: 260,000
2025/2026: 255,000

The closure of the Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) visa category will be effective from July 2024, halting new applications for the Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) (subclass 188) visa.
The permanent Migration Program planning level is set at 185,000 places, with 132,200 places (around 70%) allocated to the Skill stream. A slight drop from 190k to 185k in the migration program for 2024/25 has been announced in the Federal Budget. The breakdown of programs is as follows:
190 Program: 33,000 (last year 30,400)
491 Program: 33,000 (last year 32,300)
189 Program: 16,900 (last year 30,375)
I’ve consistently emphasized the proactive approach of promoting subclasses 190 and 491, aligning with clients’ points in the Expression of Interest (EOI) system. The budgetary figures validate our strategy.

Conclusion

The consistent permanent migration level of 185,000 places for 2024/2025, with a focus on the Skill stream, indicates strong support for businesses needing skilled labor. Moreover, the Employer Sponsored category has increased from 36,825 to 44,000 places, providing more opportunities for your business to sponsor overseas employees directly. However, the Skilled Independent category has been significantly reduced from 30,375 to 16,900 places, while the State/Territory Nominated category has increased from 30,400 to 33,000, highlighting a shift towards regional and employer-nominated pathways.
Overall, I don’t see any significant drastic change or setback for Skilled migrants. The steady planning level ensures continued opportunities for permanent residency, particularly for those with skills in demand. Yes, the reduction in the Skilled Independent category (Subclass 189) means potential migrants might need to consider other subclasses like 190 and 491, as I’ve been advocating all this while!

Here is the link: Migration Program planning levels