EPAAustralian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 12:28
Australia has announced stricter visa rules. The country wants to tackle the “broken migration system”. It should become more difficult to obtain a visa, especially for international students and low-skilled workers. The influx of migrants could therefore halve over the next two years.
According to Australian Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil, the tightening should “bring migration rates back to normal”. Immigration into the country is expected to reach a record in 2022-2023. This increase is said to be mainly attributable to international students.
Prime Minister Albanese also said migration rates in Australia must be returned to “sustainable levels”, adding that “the system is broken”.
Over the past decade, the number of international students in Australia has more than doubled. In 2012 there were approximately 340,000 international students per year, now there are 650,000. By halving, Australia wants an influx of a maximum of 250,000 people per year.
Correspondent Meike Wijers in Sydney
“Australia is a country of migrants, with almost one in two Australians having a parent born abroad. The country also needs immigrants to fill all the jobs. But recent polls show that a majority of the population believes that the influx of new people is currently too high.
With the new migration strategy, the government is trying to bring in the people the country needs to fill jobs, but keep out people who would not contribute enough to the economy.”
With the stricter rules, international students require a higher grade for English tests. Students can also no longer extend their stay in Australia.
It will actually become easier and faster for highly educated workers to obtain a visa. Thanks to the new rules, they can obtain a visa within one week. This should make it easier for Australian companies to recruit ‘top migrants’.
The recent increase is due to a large influx since the borders reopened. Australia’s borders were closed for almost two years during the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, the government increased migration rates precisely to help companies recruit workers.
2023-12-11 11:28:10
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