The 2023-24 permanent Migration Program has a planning level of 190,000 places with an emphasis on skilled migrants. It will be split approximately 70:30 between skilled and family visas, according to the 2023 budget.
The Skill stream allocation is 137,100 places, or 72 per cent of the program, whereas the Family stream's estimated allocation is 52,500 places, or 28 per cent of the program.
Below are several other key changes that will take effect on 1 July.
Changes for international students
Australia's current workforce shortages have been eased by allowing student visa holders to work over 40 hours per week.
The work hour restrictions will be re-introduced from 1 July and capped at 48 hours per fortnight.
In another key change from 1 July, Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa (TGV) holders will be allowed to stay in Australia for a longer period.
The change will result in a stay period of four years for a bachelor’s degree graduate, five years for a master’s degree graduate and six years for a doctoral graduate.
Changes for skilled workers
As announced in the 2023 budget, the minimum salary an applicant needs to receive sponsorship from an employer will also increase from 1 July.
The Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) has not been raised since it was frozen at $53,000 a decade ago. It will jump to $70,000, where it would have been without the freeze.
From 1 July, New Zealanders who have been living in Australia for four years or more will be eligible to apply directly for Australian citizenship. They will no longer need to first apply for and be granted a permanent visa.
The New Zealand stream of the Skilled Independent (subclass 189) visa is currently closed to new applications and will permanently close on 1 July.
Visa cost increases
Visa applications of some of the categories will also be increased from 1 July.
Visa types set for a hike include visitor, working holiday, work and holiday, training, temporary activity, and temporary work short stay specialist.
The application fee for the visitor visa Subclass 600 and the student visa Subclass 500 are set to increase, which will affect international students and the working holiday visa holders.
Are there any concerns about the new changes?
Lokesh Ramina, a senior software engineer at drone company Carbonix, says, "While these proposed changes will have the greatest impact on lower skilled labour, they will also affect recruitment of highly technical roles."
"Making that (migration) process more difficult and expensive will not help our (drone) technology industry thrive," Mr Ramina pointed out.
"There's no denying there is a finite pool of talent in Australia, creating a knowledge gap, and we need to look outside of the country to places like India to fill many of these roles," he added.
While it is good news for TGV holders to stay longer in Australia, international students are concerned about work hour restrictions.
Adelaide-based Navsheen Kachroo says hard days are round the corner and it won't be easy for him to manage his daily expenses after 1 July.
"It will be hard for us in these current conditions when the cost of living is so high, inflation is high. It will put more financial burden on us and our family back home," Mr Kachroo said.
Migration expert Neha Singh says that while the new changes will place more scrutiny on international student visas, permanent pathways will become "easier".
"The current tourist visa fee is $150, which will increase by 15 per cent from 1 July. This will impact the Indian diaspora since their parents travel on tourist visas," Ms Singh said.
Tourism Australia's website shows that over 38,000 tourists travelled to Australia from India in March this year, compared to over 31,000 in February, and over 19,000 in January.
Nirav Kotak, a Sydney-based travel agent, believes the tourist visa fee hike won't have any impact on Indian travel bookings.
"A $40-50 increase in tourist visa fees won't make any difference. Already air ticket prices have risen dramatically, but even that hasn't affected travel plans," he said.
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