Australia announced Federal Budget last night and confirmed that international borders will re-open only from mid-2022. The Australian Indian Community including international students, migration agents, and industry experts are feeling let down after the announcement. It was also announced that “a full vaccine rollout will be in place by the end of 2021.”
While delivering the budget second time amid the coronavirus pandemic, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg declared that migration planning levels for 2021-22 will remain unchanged.
“Australia’s effective management of COVID makes us an even more attractive place for the best and brightest from around the world,” said Josh Frydenberg. “To take advantage of this, we are streaming visas to target highly-skilled individuals when circumstances allow,” he added.
The Morrison government has announced that it will maintain its planned ceiling for the 2021-22 Migration Program at 160,000 places. The main focus will be on onshore skilled migrants and special consideration for parent visas. The planning levels include 79,600 skill and 77,300 family stream places.
Mentioning these plans ‘appropriate’ for current circumstances the Budget document stated, “Family and Skilled places will be maintained at their 2020-21 planning levels with a continued focus onshore visa applicants, including reducing the onshore Partner visa pipeline.”
The Australian government has also announced that it will maintain the Humanitarian Program at 13,750 places. “The Humanitarian Program will be maintained at 13,750 places in 2021-22 and other over the forward estimates, and the size of the program will remain as a ceiling rather than a target,” revealed the official document.
However, the government's migration plans in the next year are largely based on heroic assumptions. Various factors will affect these plans like the success of vaccine roll-out, the number of new cases, and safe quarantine programs affordable to skilled labour and international students.
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Meanwhile, the international students will only be able to return to the country as part of “small phased programs” later this year. The number of students will only gradually increase from 2022. However, for the student visa holders in the hospitality and tourism sectors, the government has provided flexibility to work beyond the current 40-hours-per-fortnight limit as they have been worst affected by Covid19 restrictions.
The budget also includes an additional 53.6 million dollars lifeline for international education providers that have suffered monumental economic losses due to closures of Australian borders.
The 2021-22 Budget estimates that the economy of Australia will suffer for another year as it is highly reliant on immigration. Dr. Allen explained, “Much of the post-pandemic recovery is dependent on having the necessary workforce and migrants are vital to the nation’s success, over the next 20 years especially.”