Australia Migration Planning Level 2024-2025- Australia to invite total 185,000 candidates for permanent migration

On May 14, 2024, the Australian Government announced the planning levels for the 2024–25 permanent Migration Program, setting the cap at 185,000 places. This program aims to address skills shortages in priority sectors and expedite visa processing for regional Australia, complementing efforts to build a domestic pipeline of highly skilled workers.

Additionally, the 2024–25 Migration Program acknowledges the significant contributions of all migrants to social cohesion, emphasizing the strengthening of family and community bonds in Australia.

By targeting skilled individuals, the program enhances the working-age population, boosting participation rates and expanding the labour force.

Allocation of Visa places- Skill Stream received the Giant share

The composition of the 2024–25 permanent Migration Program is as follows:

• Skill stream (132,200 places, i.e. nearly 71 per cent of the program) – The DHA has designed this stream to develop the productive capacity of the economy and fill skill shortages in the labour market, particularly those in regional Australia.
• Family stream (52,500 places, nearly 28 per cent of the program) – This stream is mainly made up of Partner visas, enabling Australians to reunify with family members from overseas and provide them with pathways to citizenship. Of this stream:
  • 40,500 Partner visas are estimated for 2024–25 for planning purposes, noting this category is demand driven.
  • 3,000 Child visas are estimated for 2024–25 for planning purposes, noting this category is demand driven.
• Special Eligibility stream (300 places) – This stream comprise visas for those in special circumstances, including permanent residents returning to Australia after a period overseas.

2024–25 permanent Migration Program planning levels

The 2024–25 permanent Migration Program has been set at a planning level of 185,000 places, with an approximate 70:30 split between the Skill and Family streams.

Skilled Independent Visa Category

In the 2024–25 Migration Program, the Government has allocated 16,900 places for Skilled Independent visas. This is a reduction from the 2023–24 allocation of 30,375 places but remains significantly higher than the COVID-era levels of 7,500 and 6,500 places in 2020–21 and 2021–22, respectively.

State/Territory Nominated Visa Category

The planning level for the State/Territory Nominated category has been increased to 33,000 visas, with an additional 33,000 visas allocated to the Regional category for the 2024–25 Migration Program. These categories, both involving state and territory government nominations, represent 36% of the overall planning level and 50% of the Skill stream. The increased planning levels will help jurisdictions attract skilled migrants to address specific economic and labour force challenges. The increase in the Regional category will also support key commitments in the Migration Strategy to assist regional Australia and prioritize visa processing.

Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) Visa Category

The planning level for the BIIP has been reduced from 1,900 visas in 2023–24 to 1,000 visas for the 2024–25 permanent Migration Program. As part of the Migration Strategy, the Government announced it would not issue new allocations for the BIIP while considering a new talent and innovation visa. This new visa, to be called the National Innovation Visa, will be available by the end of 2024.

Employer Sponsored Visa Category

The planning level for Employer Sponsored visas has been increased from 36,825 in 2023–24 to 44,000 in the 2024–25 permanent Migration Program. This increase builds on the expanded pathway to permanent residence introduced by the Government from November 2023, allowing a larger proportion of temporary migrants to secure permanent residence in a timely manner through the Temporary Residence Transition Stream.

To prepare your file and apply for relevant visa in Australia in 2024-2025, you may get in touch trusted Australia migration advisor at Visas Avenue on Toll-Free No. 78-18-000-777 or you can drop us an e-mail at info@visasavenue.com.

- Rajneesh Kumar