Australia Migration

Australia Permanent Migration Program


For the 2024–25 period, the Government has designated a total of 185,000 places for the permanent Migration Program, with 132,200 of these places (which is roughly 70%) being assigned to the Skilled stream. Starting from the 2025–26 period, the Government plans to expand the timeframe for the permanent Migration Program’s planning from a single year to a span of four years. This is part of the ongoing efforts within the Migration Strategy to enhance the management and operation of the Australian migration system.


The 2024-2025 Permanent Visa Allocations are as follows:

Visa StreamVisa Category2023–24 Planning Levels2024–25 Planning Levels
SkillEmployer Sponsored36,82544,000

Skilled Independent30,37516,900

Regional32,30033,000

State/Territory Nominated30,40033,000

Business Innovation & Investment1,9001,000

Global Talent (Independent)5,0004,000

Distinguished Talent300300

Skill Total137,100132,200
FamilyPartner1​40,50040,500

Parent8,5008,500

Child1​3,0003,000

Other Family500500

Family Total52,50052,500

Special ​​Eligibility400300

Total Migration Program190,000185,000

1 Delivery of the Partner and Child visa categories are demand driven, with indicative planning levels only.
Australia's Fresh Approach to Migration

Australia’s Fresh Approach to Migration

Australia is embarking on a transformation of its migration strategy, aiming to shift from a focus on temporary migration toward prioritizing permanent residence and citizenship. The nation’s ambition in this endeavor is crucial as it grapples with declining birth rates, emphasizing the need to import essential skills for sustained growth.

Parent Visa

Immigration NZ’s Parent Category restart: Just 2 per cent chance of being selected

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has announced that August 8th will mark the day when it will pick expressions of interest (EOIs) from a queue of numerous individuals seeking to sponsor their parents for migration to New Zealand. Currently, the queue comprises 5,000 applicants who have entered since the restart of the Parent Visa Category on October 12th last year. However, only 500 visas are annually approved.

INZ’s Chief Operating Officer, Stephen Vaughn, explained that this category allows New Zealand residents and citizens to sponsor their parents for residence, thereby supporting skilled migration. Yet, some immigration lawyers have criticized the program’s low success rate, pointing out that the limited number of visas (500) corresponds to approximately 250 expressions of interest, considering each typically represents around two people. Consequently, the odds of obtaining a visa are approximately 2%.

To address this, INZ is implementing a selection process from two separate queues: one for EOIs submitted before October 12th and another for those after that date. The agency has not disclosed the size of the first queue but has announced plans to select enough to reach 2000 visa approvals annually until no EOIs remain.

The selection process prioritizes the oldest EOIs, with some applicants having waited since November 3, 2014. For the second queue involving EOIs received from October 12, 2022, selections will be made at random until the 500 visa approvals per year quota is reached.

On August 8th, INZ will choose 200 EOIs from the ballot. To be included in this selection, expressions must be submitted before August 1, 2023

Living Without Borders

Partner Work Rights

Immigration New Zealand made significant revisions to the visa regulations for partners of Essential Skills and Accredited Employer Work Visa holders applying for new Partner of Worker Work Visas. Until now, these partners had considerable freedom to pursue their own employment opportunities within New Zealand.

However, under the new guidelines, most individuals in this category will be required to secure jobs that pay at least the median hourly wage in New Zealand, currently set at NZ$29.66/hr. Exceptions to this wage requirement include cases where the partner earns at least double the median wage or if they are working in a role listed on the green list.

Additionally, the updated restrictions stipulate that partners seeking these new visas:

  1. Can only work for an accredited employer.
  2. Are not allowed to be self-employed.
  3. Must not work in roles covered by capped sector agreements if the wage falls below the median New Zealand wage.

These visa changes apply to the majority of partners of workers who hold an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) or an Essential Skills Work Visa (ESWV). However, it is important to note that these changes will not impact current work visa conditions or applicants who submit their applications before 31 May 2023. Furthermore, there are no alterations to visa conditions for partners of New Zealand citizens or those holding other work visas, such as a Post Study Work Visa.