What Australia’s 2024 Immigration Changes Mean for You

A large drop in immigration numbers signal a change in Australian attitudes. What does it mean for migrants?

On May 14^th 2024, the Australian Government announced changes to their migration program. Alongside a large drop in numbers of migrant, the changes are to try and address specific skill shortages, especially in regional areas.

2024 Immigration Changes in Australia

There are four main big changes in the latest migration strategy.

1. Immigrant Rights and Protections

In this update, there’s a big focus on protecting immigrants. Often, people coming to Australia don’t know the laws around wages and employment. This means they can be targeted and exploited. Some bad employers may also threaten them if they do speak up and question practices.

A new program means new immigrants will be educated about their rights in Australian workplaces. The government is also starting an information sharing agreement between the Australian taxation office and the Department of Home Affairs. This means that income and employment data will be checked to help identify workers who are being exploited.

Increased funding is being allocated to the migration judicial review process. The Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) is replacing the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT). This will help to clear the backlog of migration cases in court.

Enquire now

2. Decrease in Migration Numbers

The total numbers of immigrants being accepted has been decreased. This includes changes in some categories, such as the employee sponsored stream which has been increased. The family visa stream numbers remain the same, recognising the importance of family unity when immigrating to Australia.

The work experience requirement for the 482 Temporary Skill Shortage visa is being reduced to one year, instead of two.

Visa Type	Visa Category	2023–24 Numbers	2024–25 Numbers
*Skill*	Employer sponsored	36,825	44,000
	Skilled independent	30,375	16,900
	Regional	32,300	33,000
	State/ Territory Nominated	30,400	33,000
	Business innovation and investment visa discontinued from September 2024	1,900	1,000
	Global talent (Independent) changing to National Innovation Visa	5,000	4,000
	Distinguished talent	300	300
	Skilled visaa total numbers	137,100	132,200
*Family*	Partner	40,500	40,500
	Parent	8,500	8,500
	Child	3,000	3,000
	Other family	500	500
	Family total	52,500	52,500
	Special eligibility	400	300
	Total maximum migration to Australia	190,000	185,000

3. Country-Specific Visa Changes

There are some new strategies to manage immigration better for some specific countries. These three changes include:

Maximum stay period on business visa for Indian nationals to increase from three years to five

Ballot system started for the Work and Holiday Visa 462 for China, Vietnam, and India nationals

MATES (Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme) starting from 1 November 2024 to encourage young Indian nationals with specific skills to live and work in Australia for up to two years.

4. Nomination Allocations for States and Territories

The intended numbers of immigrants to each state or territory have changed too. This reflects the changing need for specific skills or roles in the area.

2024–25 state and territory nomination allocations

State	Skilled Nominated (Subclass 190) visa	Skilled Work Regional (Subclass 491) visa
ACT	1,000	800
NSW	3,000	2,000
NT	800	800
QLD	600	600
SA	3,000	800
TAS	2,100	760
VIC	3,000	2,000
WA	3,000	2,000
Total	16,500	9,760

Why Make These Changes?

The drop in migration caps is to try and minimise pressure on the housing market. These changes will hopefully reduce rent cost and housing prices.

However, Australians know they can’t eliminate migration altogether because they have so many areas of acute skills shortages. Hopefully, this is a temporary drop to allow new home builds to proceed and catch up with demand. Then, previous levels of immigration can proceed.

This is also why the areas of skills shortages and regional migration are being targeted. There are immediate and long-term needs that must be met.

The other big change is around supporting and informing migrants about Australian employment laws. This is to help keep people safe once they are settled in Australia, and to help remove poor employers who intentionally exploit vulnerable migrants.

How Can IDP Help You?

If you’re uncertain or worried about any of these changes, contact us. While we can’t change the migration laws, we can help you to ensure you get a quality degree in an industry that needs skilled workers. There are ways to future-proof your career, and help you to get a working visa in Australia in the future.