On 9 May 2023, the Australian Government announced that the planning level for the 2023-24 permanent Migration Program will be set at 190,000 places.
The Government has designed the 2023-24 permanent Migration Program to address persistent and emerging skills shortages and to attract people with specialist skillsets that are difficult to find or develop in Australia.
The 2023-24 permanent Migration Program has the following composition:
- Skill stream (137,100 places, approximately 72% of the program) – This stream has been designed to improve the productive capacity of the economy and fill skill shortages in the labour market, including those in regional Australia.
- Family stream (52,500 places, approximately 28% of the program) – this stream is predominantly made up of Partner visas, enabling Australians to reunite with family members from overseas and provide them with pathways to citizenship. Of this stream:
- 40,500 Partner visas are estimated for 2023-24 for planning purposes, noting this category is demand driven and not subject to a ceiling.
- 3,000 Child visas are estimated for 2023-24 for planning purposes, noting this category is demand driven and not subject to a ceiling.
- Special Eligibility stream (400 places) – this stream covers visas for those in special circumstances, including permanent residents returning to Australia after a period overseas.
| Visa Stream | Visa Category | 2022-23 Planning levels | 2023-24 Planning levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skill | Employer Sponsored | 35,000 | 36,825 |
| Skilled Independent | 32,100 | 30,375 | |
| Regional | 34,000 | 32,300 | |
| State/Territory Nominated | 31,000 | 30,400 | |
| Business Innovation & Investment | 5,000 | 1,900 | |
| Global Talent (Independent) | 5,000 | 5,000 | |
| Distinguished Talent | 300 | 300 | |
| Skill Total | 142,400 | 137,100 | |
| Family | Partner1 | 40,500 | 40,500 |
| Parent | 8,500 | 8,500 | |
| Child1 | 3,000 | 3,000 | |
| Other Family | 500 | 500 | |
| Family Total | 52,500 | 52,500 | |
| Special Eligibility | 100 | 400 | |
| Total Migration Program | 195,000 | 190,000 |
Skilled Independent visa category
The 2023-24 permanent Migration Program has allocated 30,375 places for Skilled Independent visas. This is comparable to the 2022-23 program allocation of 32,100 places.
Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) visa category
The Government has reduced the planning level for the BIIP from 5,000 visas in 2022-23 to 1,900 visas for the 2023-24 permanent Migration Program.
Global Talent visa category
The 2023-24 permanent Migration Program has maintained 5,000 places for the Global Talent Visa (GTV) Program
Source: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/migration-program-planning-levels