In what could upset the plans of Indians seeking permanent residency in Australia, the government of Australia has drastically restructured its migration planning program for next year. In the wake of the pandemic, the quota for a skilled independent visa is reduced to 6,500 from 18,652 (a drop of 65%).
The new plan for skilled stream includes:
- Skilled Independent visa: 6,500
- State/Territory Nominated: 11,200
- Regional:11,200
The program is designed to prioritize certain professionals from IT and healthcare over others like in the US. This year, only 79,600 placements have been allocated under the skill stream, a fall from 1,08,682 placements allocated in 2019-20.
However, there is an increase in the number of Global Talent visa ( a new favorite of Australia) to 15,000. In total, the government has allocated a total number of 79,620. Under the partner scheme, there an increase in the number of applications accepted from 37,118 to 72,300. As per the new policy, applicants apply under the partner scheme will now need basic English language skills
In an email response to a popular news media TOI, a spokesperson from the Australian department of home affairs said: “The focus for the permanent migration program 2020-21 is to support our economic recovery, growing Australian businesses and creating jobs for Australians.” The areas that are seeing a rise are the ‘global talent’ bracket and the ‘business innovation and investment program (BIIP)’. The first allows only experts in their field to fill gaps that cannot be filled by Australians, while the latter will be used for job creation.
To know more about the new rules of Australia, contact our visa consultant, who will be happy to help your plan for migration to Australia.
