Table of Contents
- Surge in Expats Returning Home to Australia
- Australian Student Visa Fees are Doubled
- Slight Drop in Migration Numbers in last Quarter of 2023
- Temporary Skills Migration Threshold Increased!
- New Innovation Visa for Exceptionally Talented
- 63 Per Cent of International Students Choose Australia
- New Visa Requirements Take Effect
- Highest Student Visa Refusal Rate since 2005!
- 188 Business Innovation and Investment Visa is Closed!
- Significant Migration Strategy Reforms Planned for 2024!
- Sydney is Number One Destination for Irish Accountants!
- Faster Pathway to Permanent Residence for 482 Visa Workers
- Australia Increases Permanent Migration Program
- Government to crack down on Education Providers Visa Scams
- Australia resumes Tourist visas for Chinese Groups
- Victoria's State Nomination Program has Re-opened
- Filipinos to Join Australian Work and Holiday Visa Program
- Subclass 408 - Pandemic Visa is being Closed
- Faster Visa Processing Times Now!
- Massive Increase in Number of Migrants coming to Australia
- International Students can Extend their Stay in Australia
22 July 2024
Surge in Expats Returning Home to Australia
A record number of Australians returning from overseas could thwart the Albanese government’s attempts to cut migration levels, as expats are enticed home by the strong jobs market. A net total of 37,380 Australians arrived in the country in 2023-24, a record number that reverses the trend of surging departures after the borders reopened, at the end of the pandemic. In the first year borders were reopened, in 2021-22, a record net of 380,510 Australian citizens left the country. Another 242,610 exited the country in 2022-23. Australia’s unemployment rate rose to 4.1 per cent in June 2024. However, Australia still boasts one of the lowest jobless rates across advanced economies. Previous volatility in net migration of Australian citizens followed the global financial crisis and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting more Australian citizens to return home than depart. The Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton has promised to reduce Australia’s permanent migration program from 185,000 to 140,000 for two years, or by 25 per cent, to ease pressure on housing demand and prices. Under the Coalition plan, the permanent intake would then increase to 150,000 in year three, and 160,000 in year four.
05 July 2024
Australian Student Visa Fees are Doubled
Australia has more than doubled the cost of student visa fees for international students from $710 to $1,600 AUD, a move which will impact Indians planning to study in Australia. The move has triggered outrage from student representatives who say that the price hike will drive potential students to competitors. From July 1, the international student visa fee has risen to $1,600 from $710. The federal government said the additional revenue will help fund initiatives in education including cuts to graduate debt, financial support for apprentices, and the ongoing implementation of its migration strategy, the report said. "International education is an incredibly important national asset and we need to ensure its integrity and quality," Minister for Education Jason Clare said in a statement. According to the Indian High Commission in Canberra, the number of Indian students enrolled for studying in Australia is estimated at around 1,20,277 as of August 2023, making Indian students the second largest cohort of foreign students in Australia. However, Yeganeh Soltanpour, the national president of the Council of International Students Australia, slammed the decision, noting the fee increase, combined with high deposit costs, places extra strain on international students, the ABC report said. "The possibility of spending all that money only to face rejection is quite disheartening for many students. It has caused many in the student community to explore other options and competitive countries," she said. Phil Honeywood, CEO of the International Education Association of Australia, told the ABC that the announcement was the "last straw" for the international education sector, which has already suffered from a slowdown in visa approvals. Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com "We are really in danger of losing a USD 48 billion a year industry," he said, adding that it will "heavily impact" on relationships with our Indo-Pacific neighbours who rely on Australia to deliver world-class qualifications to young people. He warned that this change could drive prospective students to the United Kingdom, Australia's closest competitor, which currently charges $900 for student visa fees.
18 June 2024
Slight Drop in Migration Numbers in last Quarter of 2023
Migration added just over 100,000 people to Australia's population in the last 3 months of 2023, according to new official figures that cast doubt on the government's own migration forecast. Net overseas migration (NOM) – a figure that tracks arrivals and departures – was 107,300 for the December quarter. While that is lower than the year before, it is not sufficiently low to meet Treasury's projection in last month's budget, which was 395,000 for the full financial year about to end. Data for half of that year is now available, and the running tally is at 252,000 — well past halfway. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton pointed to that record-high figure to mount a political argument about the cost of living and has promised to reduce the numbers of permanent and temporary migrants. But despite the heated politics, governments have minimal control over net migration. Most of the main entry streams are not capped, including international students and temporary workers. And where governments have tried to impose limits, they have encountered business anger and warnings of economic damage.