​​​​​​ The Australia Government  announces 160,000 vacancies for immigration

​​​​​​A major migration program has been released by the Australian government’s Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services, and Multicultural Affairs for 2022-23

This program aims to boost the country’s economic recovery, which is still suffering from Pandemic woes. The program is set to enhance and drive social cohesion outcomes in the post-pandemic environment.

According to official documents, 160,000 places will be available under the Migration Program. Distribution of these places will be as follows:

• The skills stream (109,900 places) aims to improve productivity and fill skill shortages in the labour market, including in regional Australia.
• There are 50,000 places available in the Family stream, which allows Australians to reunite with family members who are overseas and provide them with opportunities for citizenship.
  1. From 2022-23, Partner visas will be granted on a demand-driven basis to facilitate family reunification. Many applicants will benefit from this as it will help reduce the Partner visa pipeline and processing times.
  2. In the planning period of 2022-23, it is estimated that 40,500 Partner visas will be issued, though this number is not capped.
  3. A total of 3000 child visas is estimated for 2022-23 for planning purposes. However, this category is demand-driven and not capped.
• Special Eligibility (100 places) – includes visas for persons in special circumstances, including permanent residents returning to Australia after a period overseas

In response to changing economic conditions, the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs can also redistribute places between Skill stream visa categories as needed.

Migration Program planning levels as announced as part of the 2021-22 and 2022-23 Federal Budgets

• *Planning levels for these categories are estimates only as they are demand driven and not subject to a ceiling.
• **The total for the Family stream in 2021-22 does not include the Child category. For planning purposes both Child and Partner visa categories are counted towards the total Family stream in 2022-23.

State-nominated visas

Under the State Nominated Migration Program, state and territory authorities can nominate skilled individuals for visas

There is no requirement that state-sponsored visa holders be tied to a particular employer, but there is an age requirement. Individuals under 45 years of age are eligible.

However, there is no job guarantee, so they must find their own job.

State and Territory nominated visa- Categories

The 2022-23 Migration Program allocates nomination allocations in the following categories to States and Territories:

• Skilled – Nominated (subclass 190)
• Skilled Work Regional (Provisional)(subclass 491)
• Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP)

It is to be noted that the States and Territories individually assess eligible applicants against criteria unique to their jurisdiction.

Following consultation with States and Territories, the following nomination levels have been allocated for 2022-23: