The Australian government has revised its permanent migration program for the 2024-25 financial year, reducing the intake to 185,000 places from 190,000 in the previous year. Of this total, 132,200 places (71%) have been allocated to skilled migrants, reflecting key adjustments across visa categories. Employer-sponsored visas have increased to 44,000, while skilled independent visas have been significantly reduced to 16,900. Regional visas remain steady at 33,000, while state and territory-nominated visas have seen a slight increase to 33,000.

Additionally, 5,000 places have been allocated to the Business Innovation and Investment and Global Talent visa streams, a reduction from 6,900. The Business Innovation and Investment program was discontinued in July, while the Global Talent visa has been replaced by the new National Innovation visa. These changes officially took effect on 1 July 2024, with further skilled visa reforms unveiled in December.

In the student visa sector, the government initially proposed capping international student enrolments at 270,000. However, after opposition blocked the plan, a new priority-based system was introduced under Ministerial Direction 111. Instead of a fixed cap, student visa processing will now be categorized into “high priority” and “standard priority.”

Under the new system, education providers will receive high-priority visa processing for up to 80% of their indicative international student allotment. Any applications exceeding this threshold will be processed under standard priority. According to Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke, while a cap would have been a more effective measure, the new system still provides the government with control over student migration.