Australian Immigration News 22nd of June. Employer Sponsored Visa Reforms! 6 mths off relief is here

Summary

In this episode of Australian Immigration News, KL Conrad discusses recent policy changes for employer-sponsored visa holders, including provisions for flexible work post-resignation. The show also addresses the Gratton Institute's proposal to scrap the Regional Skill Visa and the government's counter-proposal to triple regional migration places. Expert Professor Peter McDonald critiques the reliance on net overseas migration figures and the potential negative impacts of capping student visas on Australia's international education market.

Takeaways

• 📢 The Australian immigration department has announced a concession for employer-sponsored visa holders, including the 457, 482, and 494 visas, allowing them to work in any occupation or business in Australia for up to one year after resigning or being dismissed from their sponsoring employers.
• 🗓️ The new rules for employer-sponsored visa holders will begin on the 1st of July, and more information will be provided as it becomes available.
• 🎓 The Gratton Institute's proposal to scrap the Regional Skill Visa and implement a new points test plan has been met with resistance, as the immigration department releases a discussion paper supporting strong and sustainable regional migration settings.
• 📚 The discussion paper 'Supporting Strong and Sustainable Regions' is open for public feedback until the 26th of July, with a focus on tripling the number of permanent places available for regional migration and simplifying migration agreements.
• 🔍 The paper also emphasizes the prioritization of regional visa processing and collaboration with states and territories for long-term migration planning to meet regional workforce needs.
• 🏛️ Professor Peter McDonald, a leading expert in demography, challenges the accuracy of the net overseas migration (NOM) figure and its use in shaping migration policy and capping student visa numbers.
• 💡 Professor McDonald argues that the 'permanently temporary' myth is unfounded, as most temporary migrants do not remain in Australia permanently, contrary to popular belief.
• 📉 The ABS statistics for net overseas migration are criticized for being preliminary and potentially misleading, with a significant discrepancy observed in the most recent year's figures.
• 🚫 There is concern that focusing on reducing the NOM could lead to caps on student visas, which may negatively impact the education industry and international relations.
• 🌐 The potential for diversifying the student market is discussed, with the argument that having a large number of students from one country, such as China, is not inherently negative and can be beneficial for international relations.
• 👥 The importance of the permanent migration program for Australia's long-term development is highlighted, as opposed to the temporary migration program, which provides immediate workforce needs.

Q & A

What is the main topic discussed in the Australian immigration news video?

The main topic discussed is the concession for employer sponsored Visa holders, including the 457, 482, and 494 visas, allowing them to work in any occupation or business in Australia for up to one year over the Visa lifetime after resigning or being sacked from their sponsoring employers.

What is the new rule change for employer sponsored Visa holders starting from the 1st of July?

The new rule change allows employer sponsored Visa holders to have 6 months of unrestricted work in any occupation or business between finding a new sponsor, with the possibility of an extension for testing with a new potential sponsor after 6 months.

What does the Gratton institute's proposal suggest regarding the Regional skill Visa?

The Gratton institute's proposal suggests scrapping the Regional skill Visa and introducing a new points test plan, which could potentially decimate Regional Education providers and make Regional Australia self-sufficient in terms of migration.

What is the government's response to the Gratton institute's proposal as indicated in the discussion paper?

The government's response, outlined in a discussion paper titled 'Supporting strong and sustainable regions,' indicates a clear signal against the Gratton institute's proposal, emphasizing the importance of migration in supporting regional Australia and calling for feedback on regional migration settings.

What are the key takeaways from the government's discussion paper on regional migration?

The key takeaways include tripling the number of permanent places available for regional migration, extending and simplifying designated area migration agreements (DAMAs), prioritizing regional visa processing, working with states and territories for long-term migration planning, and expanding the Pacific Australia labor Mobility scheme.

What is Professor Peter McDonald's stance on the term 'permanently temporary' in relation to migration?

Professor Peter McDonald considers the term 'permanently temporary' to be a myth, stating that very few temporary migrants remain in that status after 10 years, and even fewer after 5 years, with the exception of those on graduate visas.

What is the issue with the ABS statistics and net overseas migration (NOM) figures as discussed by Professor McDonald?

The issue with the ABS statistics is that they are preliminary and can be misleading. The ABS uses an equation to predict whether individuals will stay for 16 months from the day they arrive, but this method has been found to be inaccurate, as seen in the significant discrepancy in the figures for the 2022-2023 financial year.

How does Professor McDonald view the idea of capping student visas to control the NOM?

Professor McDonald believes that capping student visas is not a sensible approach, as it targets a large and controllable group, but it could lead to difficulties and negatively impact the education market, which has been carefully nurtured over the years.

What is the potential impact of capping student visas on the education industry in Australia?

Capping student visas could have a detrimental impact on the education industry, especially hitting smaller education providers harder than top universities, and potentially enhancing the market for competitors like the United States, which is not cutting student visas.

What is the issue with the 485 Visa age cap as discussed in the video?

The issue with the 485 Visa age cap is that it unfairly affects older graduate and postgraduate students who may see their Visa expire while still completing their courses, and it does not provide transition arrangements for those who planned to move onto a graduate Visa.

What is the proposed solution by Professor McDonald for students on a graduate Visa who have found employment in their field?

Professor McDonald suggests that if a student on a graduate Visa has found employment in their field and their employer is satisfied with their work, they should be allowed to stay, as they are young and working in their occupation, making them ideal migrants.

What is the discussion on the Gratton points test idea and its implications for regional migration?

The Gratton points test idea has been criticized for overemphasizing salary as an indicator of the best migrants, potentially neglecting in-demand occupations with lower salaries, such as nursing and teaching. Professor McDonald does not believe the government will adopt this approach.

What is the concern regarding the focus on NOM and its potential impact on the permanent migration program?

The concern is that an excessive focus on NOM could lead to a reduction in the permanent migration program, which is crucial for Australia's long-term development, rather than addressing the temporary migration program, which provides immediate workforce needs.

What is the legal issue with capping partner visas in the family stream as per the Migration Act?

The Migration Act states that the government should not cap partner visas in the family stream, but they have been doing so by linking the partner intake to half the skilled intake, which has been capped. This is a breach of the law, and there is a suggestion that this issue should be pursued more vigorously.

Outlines

00:00

📢 Announcement of Employer Sponsored Visa Concession

This paragraph introduces the video and discusses a significant policy change for employer sponsored visa holders, including the 457, 482, and 494 visas. The change allows visa holders to work in any occupation or business in Australia for up to one year after resigning or being dismissed from their sponsoring employer. The new rule, effective from July 1st, provides a 6-month unrestricted work period to find a new sponsor. The video also touches on the hope for similar changes for international students over 35 accessing the 485 Visa. Additionally, it critiques the Gratton Institute's proposal to scrap the Regional Skill Visa and discusses the government's discussion paper on regional migration settings.

05:01

🔍 Scrutinizing ABS Statistics and Net Overseas Migration Figures

The second paragraph focuses on the reliability of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures, particularly the net overseas migration (NOM) figures, which are being used to cap student visa numbers and shape migration policy. The speaker, Professor Peter McDonald, challenges the accuracy of these statistics, arguing that they are preliminary and can be misleading, especially when used as a basis for policy decisions. The discussion also addresses the spike in NOM figures during semester breaks and the potential political misuse of these figures in the context of the housing crisis and cost of living.

10:02

🎓 The Impact of Student Visa Policies on International Education

This paragraph discusses the Australian government's measures to reduce the number of international student arrivals, including increasing English requirements and financial thresholds. It highlights the potential negative effects of capping student visas on the education industry, which has been carefully nurtured over the past 25 years. The speaker emphasizes the importance of international students for international relations and the potential loss to the Australian economy if student arrivals are restricted.

15:02

🤔 The Myth of 'Permanently Temporary' Migration

The fourth paragraph delves into the concept of 'permanently temporary' migration, which suggests that temporary migrants never leave Australia. Professor McDonald argues that this is a myth, as data shows that only a small proportion of temporary migrants remain in Australia after 10 years. The discussion points out that policies aimed at preventing visa hopping and the promotion of temporary migration are necessary for Australia's long-term development, rather than focusing on NOM figures.

20:03

📉 The Effects of Government Policies on Migration and Partner Visas

In this paragraph, the conversation turns to the effects of government policies on migration, particularly the focus on NOM figures and the potential reduction of the permanent migration program. The speaker criticizes the government's handling of partner visas, noting that the law prohibits capping these visas in the family stream, yet it has been done indirectly by capping the skilled intake. The discussion also touches on the importance of the permanent migration program for Australia's development and the need for a more balanced approach to migration policy.

25:05

👋 Conclusion and Acknowledgment of Peter McDonald's Contributions

The final paragraph wraps up the video by thanking Professor Peter McDonald for his insights and contributions to Australian migration policy over his long career. It also expresses hope for a resolution to the 485 Visa age cap issue for international students and invites viewers to seek assistance from Australian Immigration Law Services for any immigration-related concerns.

Keywords

💡Australian immigration

Australian immigration refers to the process by which individuals from other countries move to Australia to live and work. In the video, it is the central theme as the host discusses the latest news and changes in Australian immigration laws and policies, particularly focusing on employer-sponsored visas and the implications for visa holders.

💡Employer-sponsored visas

Employer-sponsored visas, such as the 457, 482, and 494 visas mentioned in the script, are a type of visa where an Australian employer sponsors an individual to work in the country. The video highlights a new concession for these visa holders, allowing them to work in any occupation or business after resigning or being let go from their sponsoring employer, which is a significant policy change discussed in the video.

💡Visa lifetime

The term 'visa lifetime' refers to the duration for which a visa is valid. In the context of the video, it is mentioned that visa holders will be given up to one year over the visa lifetime to work in any occupation after leaving their sponsoring employer, indicating a new flexibility in the employment conditions for visa holders.

💡Regional migration

Regional migration is the movement of people to less populated or rural areas within a country. The video discusses the Australian government's efforts to support regional areas through migration policies, including tripling the number of permanent places available for regional migration, which is a key point in the discussion paper mentioned in the script.

💡Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs)

DAMAs are agreements that facilitate employers in regional areas to sponsor overseas workers to fill labor shortages. The script mentions the extension and simplification of these agreements to help meet regional workforce needs, which is part of the government's strategy to address skill shortages in regional Australia.

💡Working Holiday Maker program

The Working Holiday Maker program allows young people from certain countries to travel and work in Australia for an extended period. The video discusses the importance of this program in supporting local economies and regional workforce needs, and how it is being considered in the review of regional migration settings.

💡Migration policy

Migration policy refers to the regulations and strategies set by a government to manage immigration. The video script discusses various aspects of Australian migration policy, including changes to employer-sponsored visas, regional migration incentives, and the impact of net overseas migration figures on policy decisions.

💡Net Overseas Migration (NOM)

NOM is a statistic that measures the net gain or loss of population in a country due to international migration. The video mentions the controversy surrounding the accuracy of NOM figures and how they are being used in political debates, including as a potential cap on student visa numbers.

💡Temporary skilled visa

A temporary skilled visa allows individuals with specific skills to work in Australia for a temporary period. The script discusses the misconception that these individuals are 'permanently temporary,' suggesting they are expected to stay in Australia permanently, which is challenged by the actual data showing most temporary migrants do not remain in this status long-term.

💡Graduate visas

Graduate visas are a type of temporary visa that allows international students who have completed their studies in Australia to stay and work for a certain period. The video script mentions that these visas are often the reason why some temporary migrants remain in Australia for more than five years, which is part of the government's policy to retain skilled graduates.

💡Migration planning

Migration planning involves strategic decision-making about immigration levels and policies to meet a country's long-term economic and social goals. The video discusses the importance of migration planning in spreading wealth and opportunities evenly across regional communities and the potential impact of the government's current approach on this objective.

Highlights

Introduction to the weekly edition of Australian immigration news by Australian immigration law Services.

Announcement of a concession for employer sponsored Visa holders, including 457, 482, and 494 visas.

Visa holders will be allowed 6 months of unrestricted work to find a new sponsor after resigning or being sacked.

New rules for visa holders to work without restrictions will begin on the 1st of July.

Discussion on the need for similar rule changes for international students over 35 accessing the 485 Visa.

Release of a discussion paper titled 'Supporting strong and sustainable regions' reviewing regional migration settings.

Call for public feedback on the discussion paper with a closing date of the 26th of July.

Main takeaways from the report include tripling the number of permanent places for regional migration.

Plans to simplify and extend designated area migration agreements to meet regional workforce needs.

Prioritizing regional visa processing to help businesses meet skill needs quickly.

Collaboration with states and territories for long-term migration planning.

Interview with Professor Peter McDonald, a leading expert in demography and migration patterns.

Discussion on the myth of 'permanently temporary' migrants and the impact on migration policy.

Critique of using net overseas migration (NOM) figures for capping student visa numbers.

Analysis of the potential negative effects of reducing the permanent migration program based on NOM.

Concerns about the political use of migration levels during an election year.

Suggestion to extend the 485 Visa for graduates with jobs in their occupations.

Discussion on the age cap issue for the 485 Visa and its implications for mature students.

Critique of the Gratton Institute's proposal to scrap the Regional Skill Visa and its impact on regional education providers.

Concerns about the potential reduction of the permanent migration cap to 140,000 places.

Emphasis on the importance of the permanent migration program for Australia's long-term development.

Discussion on the legal restrictions against capping partner visas and the government's adherence to the law.

Appeal for the government to address the backlog of partner visas and apply the law correctly.

Closing remarks and acknowledgment of Peter McDonald's service to Australia in the field of demography.

Transcripts

[Music]

hi I'm KL Conrad and Welcome to our

weekly edition of Australian immigration

news proudly brought to you by

Australian immigration law Services

right here in the heart of Sydney if

it's moving and shaking in the world of

immigration we will track it down for

you and bring you the latest our

editorial opinions are based upon our 25

years of running a professional

migration practice and the grant of over

100,000 visas for our clients the big

news this week is the concession for

employer sponsored Visa holders which

includes the 457 482 and 494 visas

finally this is an announcement of the

muched hoped for change which will give

up to one year over the Visa lifetime to

work in Australia in any occupation or

business when they resign or are sacked

from their sponsoring employers Visa

holders will be allowed to have 6 months

in one go to work where they wish

between finding a new sponsor

importantly when you find a new

potential sponsor they can test you out

for a while because no work restrictions

are imposed after 6 months so you will

need permission which means a new

nomination must be approved for the

business these new rules will begin next

weekend the 1st of July and we will

provide more information as it comes out

this is a considerate and thoughtful

rule change from the department now all

they have to do is the same for

International students over 35 who just

won access to the 485 Visa they were

promised at the beginning of their

courses not really too much to ask is it

last week we discussed the Gratton

institute's proposal to have the

Regional skill Visa scrapped and a new

points test plan to effectively decimate

Regional Education providers their plan

as far as migration was concerned is

that Regional Australia can fend for

itself fortunately this week the

immigration department has given a clear

signal that none of this is likely to

happen yesterday they released a

discussion paper called supporting

strong and sustainable regions a review

of the regional migration settings this

paper is for everyone to read and to

give feedback on the closing date to

send in your feedback is the 26th of

July we'll leave a link in the

description of this video so please take

a read for yourself the publication

follows the migration strategy outlines

to evaluate Regional migration settings

and the working holiday maker program it

is crucial to note that this paper

discusses building on the government's

existing work to ensure that migration

delivers for regional Australia the main

takeaways from the report are the

following tripling the number of

permanent places available for regional

migration and yes you heard that right

it's tripling extending and simplifying

designated area migration agreements

known as dharmas to help meet Regional

Workforce needs designating Regional

Visa processing as the highest priority

so businesses can quickly meet their

skill needs working with States and

territories to plan migration over the

long term expanding and improving the

Pacific Australia labor Mobility scheme

facilitating working holiday makers to

support local economies and Regional

Australia's Workforce needs it will be

interesting to observe how exactly

tripling PR for regional migration can

be achieved without dramatically

increasing overall planning levels

dharmas too have been underutilize

simply because of their complexity

giving priority to Regional based visas

has long been promised and then just

seems to be forgotten about with regard

to working holiday makers unless they

are forced to work in Regional areas as

an Avenue to obtain their next Visa most

will gravitate happily and stay in East

Coast cities but of course we will make

our own submission on these issues and I

encourage all of you especially those

who are already living and working or

studying in Regional Australia right in

and give your experience and thoughts on

how migration planning can be used to

make your local areas Prosper the big

question is of course is this paper just

a PR exercise or is there a real

determination in the labor party to make

migration work effectively and spread

wealth evenly throughout Regional

communities now speaking speak of

migration planning our special guest

tonight is Professor Peter McDonald from

the University of Melbourne and the

Australian National University he is

Australia's leading expert in demography

and how migration patterns have shaped

this country Professor McDonald holds

the order of Australia and has been on

so many migration advisory councils to

the federal government and has won so

many awards that I would need to make a

separate video just to list them all

this week he released a paper published

by theu titled understanding Australia

migration 2024 it directly challenges

the use of the ABS statistics and the

accuracy of the net overseas migration

figure known as the Nom this is

important because the N will be used to

cap student visa numbers soon it shapes

migration policy and now due to the

media attention is being blamed for the

housing crisis and for the rise in the

cost of living not to mention the Nom is

now weaponized as an election issue by

the opposition leader Peter Dutton

Professor McDonald argues that relying

on the Nom's accuracy is a huge mistake

grab a cppa sit back and enjoy the

interview as I caught up with Peter on

[Music]

Thursday nice to meet you and thanks for

agreeing to come on the show today

that's right yeah and I've had an

interesting read of your

understanding Australian migration I've

read it from back to front so it was a

very interesting read so thanks for

publishing that so most of my viewers

are fairly young so maybe you can

introduce yourself because your

background goes back a long way yeah a

very long way uh I'm Peter McDonald and

I'm uh presently professor of demography

at the Australian University and all

Australian National University and also

at the University of Melbourne I've been

a demographer for about 60 years and in

period I've uh been well in the last 20

years at least I've been heavily

involved in advising government in

population policy particularly migration

policy but also policy related to work

and family fertility policy uh and I

have all of the leading international

Awards awards in

population and I was formerly the

president of the international Union for

the scientific study of population

that's great you could uh it makes my 25

year career look a bit small in

comparison so I appreciate your time

today we just go through got a whole lot

of questions of course but the first one

I guess you mentioned in your report

about the term permanently temporary and

how this is a bit of a myth would you

like to just sort of explain that for

our viewers yeah so I don't know quite

where it came from but it's been around

for a long time the notion that uh that

that people who come to Australia on a

temporary B basis actually never leave

and are here permanently of course

that's true for some of them that move

on to permanent residents but only a

small proportion and the myth was uh the

report that was done the Parkinson

review the report that was done for

government uh on the migration program

reform of migration has uh emphasized

this myth in various ways even absurdly

saying that the Australian economy was

dependent upon temporary migrants so

that's a ridiculous statement if you

look at the actual data there are very

very few temporary migrants who are

still temporary migrants after 10 years

and after after five years also not very

many and those that are temporary

migrants after five years are people on

graduate visas that's the main Visa that

they're here more than five years and

that's that's a government policy you

know to enable people to stay longer

than 5 years but but uh permanently

temporary is a complete myth but it's

important

because that myth I think led to this

review saying that we should base

Australian migration policy on the net

migration number not on the permanent

program and I think that's that would be

chaotic yeah because it gives the public

the idea that all the people on graduate

visas the 482 working visas that they're

Somehow Here permanently and going to

stay permanently which as you mentioned

is isn't supported by the facts is it

yes that's right yeah so you know I

believe that the uh so long as temporary

migrants remain

temporary and this government has been

uh implementing all kinds of policies to

prevent Visa hopping on Shore people

moving from One Visa to another uh and

so long as you do that I don't think

there's a problem with temporary

migration you mentioned also about the

the ABS figures and the quarterly

statistics that come out and how this

these figures can be misleading when

you're talking about the Nom yes well

the the uh ABS figures are preliminary

when they first

appear um to count into the Australian

population the way the ABS uh definition

works you have to spend 12 out of the

next 16 months in Australia uh and in in

other words you have to wait for 16

months to see whether that actually

happens but the ABS decides on day one

the day you arrive whether you're going

to stay for 16 months and they use an

equation to do that uh and uh it's clear

that for at least for the most recent

year

2223 uh that equation wasn't working

very well at all and the the preliminary

estimates were very wrong uh that the

prelimin if you took the add up the

preliminary estimates made for each

quarter in the 2022 2 23 Financial year

the number was 60,000 less than the most

recent number they've published for that

period for the same period 60,000 is a

big big number it is indeed and when I

was looking at the nonf figures I

noticed there's there was a spike in

even during semester breaks like July

and the end of the year it seems to also

count students coming going backwards

and forwards on their student visa yeah

that's right uh a lot of students leave

the country at at the in the long break

uh and in the middle of the year uh so

the numbers drop off so if you're

wanting to analyze student numbers in

Australia it's better to use March and

September not June and and December and

that's true of other Visa types as well

including the temporary skilled Visa in

relation to the Nom and targeting

International students in in general to

bring the Nom down what's the real

Danger do you see in that sort of policy

the government's already taken a large

number of measures

to uh reduce the number of international

students arriving in

Australia uh they they've they've got a

genuine student test they've been

increased the English requirement

they've increased the amount of money

that you have to have um and and many

more uh

changes cracking down on Shoni colleges

which of course you got to do

uh but also cracking down on on Visa

hopping as well you know and so they've

already taken a lot of actions and those

actions have had their effect uh between

September

2023 and remember September and March

are the the times that you can use

September

2023 and March 2024 the number of the

the addition to the number of students

in the country was

7,000 that doesn't seem to me to be out

of

control the in the same period the

number of working holiday makers

increased by

39,000 uh the number of uh bridging

visas increased by

90,000 yet it's the students that are

being uh picked on as the one that we're

going to hit in order to to try and deal

with uh net overseas migration what's

happening is that there's a kind of

panic uh in the election year

about the level of net overseas

migration and it's being used in

political ways that huge migration which

did occur of course in 201 22 23 was due

to the fact that the Border had been

closed for for two and a half years and

a lot of people came in in that year who

had wanted to come in in the previous

two and a half years and also in that

year as well so we had a huge arrivals

cohort in one year but it was a oneoff

it's not going to happen again and uh at

the same time we had a fall in

Departures in that year as well because

of Visa hopping uh in a big big way why

put uh caps on students well because the

students are by far the biggest movement

and uh you can't readily throw people

out of the country who are on a valid

Visa so you can't manipulate departures

all that much although you can promote

departures by stopping Visa hopping uh

and the numbers in the other categories

are small

so if you if you feel that you've got to

have control over net migration you're

going to control student arrivals

because that's the big number uh but all

the evidence is suggesting that there's

no need to do that and if you cap

student visas there's all kinds of

difficulties that that one I don't

initially I don't have a great deal of

confidence in the in the government's

capacity to do that

properly but but also the uh you know if

you student visas you you're you're

hitting a market the United States for

example is not cutting student

visas and the United States is the

biggest World Market you know people

going there and the so what we're doing

is C you know enhancing the US market

rather than rather than our own there's

also in this context uh you know recent

a lot of discussion recently about

diversifying the student Market that

it's a bad thing that we have all these

students from China

uh no I don't I don't see the sense of

that whatsoever you know we we don't say

that we should diversify the the iron or

Market you know by sending it somewhere

else and not to China uh and we did have

to diversify when when trying to put

embargos on various Australian products

uh but we we sure weren't trying to we

were sure welcomed the return of China

to those markets we we weren't telling

them to go away uh so

I don't I think it's uh and and you

know student markets are good for

international relations as well which is

of often forgotten that that students

who come to Australia the vast majority

of them have a good experience they go

back often into very very important

positions and some of my students are in

and former students are in very very

important positions

internationally uh and you know I think

it's not in Australia's interest to be

smashing the student arrivals when I

started in this

industry Australia couldn't even get its

quo of migrants you know they always

struggled and then John Howard's idea

was to get more students and give them a

pathway so over the last 25 years you

know we've both seen this careful

nurturing of the education industry

which has taken a long time to grow to

what it is today um yes yeah well it's

you know Australia has nine of the top

100 universities in the world and per

head of population that's that's the

best in the world the mainland China has

four so you can understand why Chinese

students want to come to Australia and

why the Chinese government wants them to

come here as well it's it's not not the

time to be capping student visas yeah

absolutely and it's not just about

universities too I mean there's been a

lot of quality smaller education

providers

that have struggled hard and built up

their businesses for so long in some

ways you know they're getting hit the

hardest by the sort of student visa

refusal yes I think that's probably

right yes that the private providers

certainly will be hit more than the the

the top eight universities you know and

at the end of the day it's the education

department that's meant to regulate

these providers and make sure they're

doing the right thing and it's really

admission of failure on their part that

we still got dodgy providers I mean I

was writing about this 15 years ago

about dodgy providers but we we still

got it and they you know what have they

done all this time yeah I think that's

exactly right that uh you know you know

we turn around and say well we got to

deal with do providers but that

government Department the Department of

Education gave registration to those

providers in the first place uh which

indicates that you know they just w't

scrutinized sufficiently yeah exactly

now in relation to the 485 Visa you

promoted that good idea that if people

prove that they've got a job in their

occupations that they can get um some

sort of nominated for an extension of

the 485 uh I think that's a pretty good

idea I'm hoping the government doesn't

wouldn't make it too

complicated um but I think that's a good

alternative yeah I think I don't think

that's complic ated uh you know you you

might get the odd uh corrupt kind of

person but it but uh uh you get that

with anything so you have to live with

that uh but you know if if a uh a

student has moved onto a graduate Visa

commensurate with the degree they've

done they're working for an employer the

employer likes them uh and but they're

on a two-year Visa then uh yeah let's

let's keep them

exactly I mean they're young they're

working in their occupation I mean you

couldn't get a better you couldn't get a

better migrant the evidence with the

temporary skill Bea shows that you know

that uh the people who come here on

temporary skill viser and then move on

to permanent resident are by far the

most successful of the permanent skilled

program yeah exactly and imulation are

you aware of the age cap issue that's

going on about 485 at the moment and

yeah ser well you know that's an example

of the government making a bit of a

mistake you know for par for graduate

postgraduate uh students are often over

the age of 35 and and the Visa might run

out while they're still doing their

course uh and there were there were

cases that appeared in the Press you

know of people in that situation and so

the governments rolled it back for those

students but even for students doing a

graduate undergraduate degree know it's

uh uh in Australia we're we're happy for

people to go back and study later in

life and we try to facilitate that but

looks like that's not the case with

International students who decide to do

that yeah it's like they're treated like

a sub standard type of Resident are they

yeah that's right yeah I don't think

there's any logic to that and

particularly they're not even giving the

transition arrangements for those who

came here with with the plan to go to

graduate Visa now all of a sudden you

know they've got nothing which is very

devastating for them yes yes yes yes I

suppose you've read the Granton points

test um idea that they put out there and

it was a big sort of blow to Regional

study in Regional migration I thought

you got any thoughts about that uh I

think Gratton kind of

overemphasizes the the salary side of

things that uh that you you know the

best people are the people who are on

the highest

salary and I don't think that's

necessarily the case and there are a lot

of occupations of course that are uh

like nurses and teachers are heavily in

demand whose salaries are not so high uh

so uh but I don't think the government

will go in that direction anyway uh so I

think the government will uh at least

for a pretty large proportion of the uh

permanent Pro school program stick with

a with an occupations list so basically

we've got the permanent migration set

now at 185,000 places and now they're

talking about the you mentioned in the

report they want to focus on the

Nom and there is that danger that people

get so fixated on the Nom that they

may reduces permanent 185,000 I mean pet

D's already talking about 140 000 which

would be disaster so what do you think

yeah well I think the evidence in favor

of what you just said is is Peter Dutton

that that you know thinking about n he's

thinks we need to reduce the permanent

program but 18 months

ago when labor first Labor's first

Target was announced 195,000 for for the

permanent program Peter Dutton said that

was too small uh so it's taken him 18

months to change his mind but I think

it's it's it's all related to as you say

the the notion that if you focus on nor

and not on the permanent program you'll

start to be cutting the permanent

program when you don't need to the the

key thing for Australian development is

the permanent program not the temporary

program you know the temporary program

does provide workers for very

particularly a temporary school program

uh does provide workers for uh you in

important sectors but for long-term

development of Australia is the

permanent program that's important and a

lot of the permanent program remember

are Partners they're not they're not

actually the the skilled migrant they

are the partners of the skilled migrant

or they partners of Australian citizens

and we should be doing a bit more about

that too I think I don't think

government should have a role in

restricting partner visas yes well they

the law says that they shouldn't the

migration act said that the government

is not allowed to cap partner visas in

the in the in the family stream they do

through the they do because for years

they had a formula that uh the

partner uh intake would be half the

skilled intake and that's and the

skilled intake was capped so then

obviously the partner intake was capped

and and it's it beats me as why the the

government was never taken to court on

this actually because it was a blatant

preach of the law uh and I was on I was

on about this B banging on about this

for every single year for 12

years uh but the problem is with the

planning levels they say the moment you

attack them about the number of partner

vises waiting they say oh but we met our

planning level perfectly last Financial

year but really the planning level is

not keeping up with the part the

planning level the planning level is a

cap yeah and the law says it shall not

be capped uh

maybe that's something I need to push

along more in my generation I actually

spoke to the government uh during Co and

said here's your chance to get the

pipeline of part of vises down uh and uh

that because you won't be able to get

people coming into the crossing the

border and there is a very large number

of part Partners in Australia waiting

for their permanent resident Visa give

them a permanent resident Visa and they

did that uh to their credit that's the

former

government and uh you know the partner

numbers of partner visas issued were

were doubled in over the the covid

years and that reduced the pipeline very

significantly and my argument was once

you get the pipeline down then you can

apply the

law yes it's hopefully they will be all

right Peter so I think that's really

covered a lot of things you know for

relatively short I really appreciate all

the work you've done over the years I'm

an old Melbourne University graduate

myself um and I really respect the sort

of work that you do and appreciate your

time today okay thanks car no take care

bye bye

bye hope you found Peter's insight

thought-provoking and we thank him for

the incredible service to Australia over

his long career that's all for another

jam-packed Edition and stay tuned for

next week I pray and hope that I can

tell all the students affected by this

485 Visa age capap issue that a new

transition period has been announced

fingers crossed for all of you remember

if you need help we are always here book

an appointment by going to our web page

or just pick up the phone if you're in a

hurry as always take care out there and

I'll see you next time so bye for now

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