As Australia attempts to switch its focus toward long-term migrants, the Australian government is planning to increase permanent immigration visas from 35,000 to 195,000 in the current fiscal year, providing some relief for businesses with chronic workforce shortages.
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia closed its borders for about two years, but the ensuing rigorous regulations and outflow of tourists and international students made it difficult for businesses to retain employees and stay viable.
Also Read: 99% in Limbo, Says Shashi Tharoor for NMC Scheme for Ukraine and China-Returned MBBS Students
During a government jobs summit on Friday, Minister for Home Affairs of Australia, Clare O'Neil said that they have received achance to change the immigration system is being handed to them on a silver platter by Covid. She stated that everybody should take this opportunity.
As per estimates, this might result in hundreds more engineers and nurses immigrating to the country this year.
The unemployment rate of Australia currently stands at 3.4%, which is close to a 50-year low, but higher inflation implies real wages are shrinking.
Businesses have been urging the Australian government to increase the annual immigration threshold from 160,000, which has compelled it to adopt temporary modifications to satisfy the labour shortage.
The two-day summit was organised in Canberra, the capital of the country, by the elected centre-left Labor government, who invited business associations and labour unions to assist in uncovering solutions to economic problems.
As many nations want to relax immigration laws, Australia has been competing with other established economies to get more talented workers from outside of the country.
However, the staff shortage situation has gotten worse as a result of a blowout in Australian visa processing delays, which has left about a million potential employees in limbo.
Also Read: Singapore Announces Five-Year Work Pass to Attract International Talent
At the summit, Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said that they recognise that when individuals continue to wait, the uncertainty may become overwhelming. He was of the opinion that this is unacceptable and reflects the crisis-ridden visa system.
Sir Giles announced that the Australian government will spend about AUD 36.1 million to hire the staff of 500 more individuals over the course of the upcoming nine months in an effort to speed up the visa application process.
Wish to Have a Permanent Residency in Australia?
Source: NDTV
