The Australian government will allocate and prioritise 129,590 places (70%) for applicants already living in Australia and the remaining 33,110 offshore places will be allocated to high skilled migrants to assist in addressing Australia's long-term needs.
Points test
The permanent migration points test will be optimised to better select more highly educated, higher skilled and younger migrants overall, with the aim of driving productivity and developing Australia's long-term prosperity. Currently, almost two thirds of permanent skilled migrants are selected through a points test.
Recognition of overseas qualifications/skills/skills assessments
The Australian government has announced that it will invest AUD85 million with the aim of delivering faster skills assessments for tradespersons to accelerate occupational licensing, with the objective of facilitating an additional 4,000 skilled tradespersons into the workforce each year.
AUD75 million will be allocated over the next 4 years to implement a new, modern skills assessment system for Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) to facilitate the integration of occupational licensing. This includes working with Australian state and territory governments to pilot streamlined assessment to licensing pathways for priority trades such as electricians and plumbers.
TRA will also receive AUD5 million over the next 3 years to deliver a new program of skills assessments for onshore visa holders, ensuring their existing qualifications and practical trade experience is recognised for the purpose of gaining employment and meeting workforce shortages.
A further AUD4 million will be allocated over the next 4 years to strengthen the regulatory ovesight of Assessing Authorities to drive better performance, greater transparency and clearer accountability.