The Australian government is reviewing its visa and immigration policies due to a growing shortage of workers

The Australian government has announced plans to review its visa and immigration policies in response to the growing labour shortage, particularly in rural areas. The government intends to switch the immigration program from a skills-based program to a demand-driven program, giving businesses a say in which job positions should be filled. However, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Clare O’Neil, has expressed concerns that such changes could disrupt the immigration system and lead to negative consequences. The country has been facing issues with an aging population and has relied on immigration for population growth since 2005-2006. The Covid-19 pandemic made the labour shortage worse with the stringent lockdowns that resulted in overseas students, backpackers, and tourists leaving the country. The government has stated that it expects to receive more than 235,000 immigrants between 2022 and 2023, following the reopening of the border to international travel in July 2022. The net inflow of immigration is forecast to reach 150,000 in 2021-2022, reaching the pre-pandemic trend of 235,000 from 2022 to 2023 and remaining at that level.

The revival of foreign migration patterns was greatly facilitated by the surge of international students, many of whom took online classes during the pandemic. The arrival of international students saw a significant increase in the quarter ending December 2021 and March 2022 as students who previously studied online and abroad took advantage of relaxed border restrictions.

The report states that by mid-October 2022, there will be 122,000 more foreign students in Australia compared to mid-December 2021.