Migration Strategy – Action Plan
Implementation timeline for existing and new commitments
and consultation timeline for areas for future reform
Action Measures Commitment Indicative
Timeframe
Targeting temporary Raise the Temporary Skilled Existing Implemented
skilled migration to Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) commitment July 2023
address skills needs from $53,900 to $70,000
and promote worker
mobility Provide a pathway to permanent Implemented
residence for temporary skilled November 2023
visa holders
Develop a new Skills in Demand visa, New Implement
with full mobility and clear pathways commitment late 2024
to permanent residence
Develop a Specialist Skills Pathway Implement
to drive innovation and job creation late 2024
Develop a Core Skills Pathway to Implement
meet targeted workforce needs late 2024
Legislate indexation of income TSMIT indexation
thresholds to maintain system 1 July 2024
integrity
Streamline Labour Market Testing Implement
(LMT) to reduce complexity Workforce Australia
change late 2023
Implement 4 to 6
month LMT validity
late 2024
Take a coordinated, evidence-based, Implement
tripartite approach to identifying late 2024
skills needs
Establish a best practice service level Implement
agreement for processing times and mid to late 2024
a modernised accreditation pathway
to better compete for talent
Consider how best to regulate Area for Consultation to
migration for lower paid workers future reform begin early to
with essential skills mid-2024
1
Action Measures Commitment Indicative
Timeframe
Reshaping permanent Explore a reformed points test to Area for Discussion paper to
skilled migration to drive better identify migrants who will future reform be released
long-term prosperity drive Australia’s long-term prosperity early 2024
Consider developing a new Talent Consultation to
and Innovation visa to drive growth begin early to
in sectors of national importance mid-2024
Strengthening the Introduced a first set of measures Existing Ongoing
integrity and quality of to improve integrity in international commitment
international education education and support genuine
students
Increase English language New Implement
requirements to improve the quality commitment early 2024
of students’ educational experience
in Australia and reduce potential
workplace exploitation
Apply greater and more targeted Implement
scrutiny to student visa applications visa processing
from high risk providers priorities
Ministerial
Direction late 2023
Implement
Genuine Student
Test and Genuine
Student Test
Ministerial
Direction
early 2024
Bolster the student visa integrity unit Implemented
in the Department of Home Affairs to late 2023
reduce misuse of Australia’s student
visa system
Strengthen requirements for Implement 2024
international education providers
Restrict onshore visa hopping that Implement early
undermines system integrity and to mid-2024
drives ‘permanent temporariness’
Strengthen and simplify Temporary Implement
Graduate visas mid-2024
Support international students and Area for Consultation to
graduates to realise their potential future reform begin early to
mid-2024
2
Action Measures Commitment Indicative
Timeframe
Tackling worker Introduced legislation, new powers Existing Implement
exploitation and the and large penalties to punish commitment mid-2024
misuse of the visa system unscrupulous employers pending passage of
legislation through
the Parliament
Supported migrant workers by Implement
introducing protections against mid-2024
visa cancellation and giving migrants
opportunities where they have
experienced exploitation
Better regulated migration agents to Ongoing
crack down on unscrupulous activity
Helping migrants understand their Ongoing
workplace rights to reduce worker
exploitation
Established real-time priority Implementation
processing of Protection visa underway
applications
Created a united intelligence, Phased
investigations and compliance implementation
capability in the Department of is ongoing
Home Affairs
Develop a public register of approved New Implement late
sponsors to enable monitoring and commitment 2024 in line with
oversight new Skills in
Demand visa
Strengthen integrity in the approved Area for Consultation to
sponsor application process future reform begin early to
mid-2024
Improve post-arrival monitoring Ongoing
and compliance including through
coordination with the tax system
3
Action Measures Commitment Indicative
Timeframe
Planning migration to Plan migration over a longer-term New National Cabinet
get the right skills in the horizon to better manage the commitment agreed in August
right places migration intake, with greater state 2023 to developing
and territory collaboration a multi-year
planning model for
migration
Further
consultation with
state and territory
governments
underway
Work with states and territories to Ongoing
ensure population planning is based
on the best available population data
and forecasts
Establish a formal role for Jobs and Implement
Skills Australia in defining Australia’s late 2024
skills needs using evidence, including
advice from tripartite mechanisms
Improve the approach to skills Implement early
recognition and assessment to better to mid-2024
unlock the potential of migrants
Launch an enhanced outreach Implement
program to improve access to the early 2024
migration system
Bring an evidence-based, tripartite Ongoing
approach to evaluation and
monitoring
Tailoring regional Increased skilled migration to help Existing Ongoing
visas and the Working meet labour shortages in regional commitment
Holiday Maker program Australia
to support regional
Designate visa processing to New Implement
Australia and its workers
regional Australia as the highest commitment late 2023
processing priority
Evaluate regional migration settings Area for Discussion paper
and the Working Holiday Maker future reform to be released
program to ensure migration early 2024
supports development objectives
in regional Australia and does not
contribute to the exploitation of
migrant workers
4
Action Measures Commitment Indicative
Timeframe
Deepening our Established a direct pathway to Existing Implemented
people-to-people ties Australian citizenship for eligible commitment July 2023
in the Indo-Pacific New Zealanders to reflect the strong
ties between our two countries
Reformed the Pacific Australia PALM reform
Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, and implemented
delivering a new Pacific Engagement July 2023
Visa (PEV) to encourage more PEV to be
mobility from our region implemented in
2024
Providing a special visa arrangement In progress
for Tuvalu citizens under our bilateral
treaty, the Australia Tuvalu Falepili
Union
Making it easier for Southeast Asian In progress
businesses and eminent people to
travel to Australia
Simplifying the Invested to reduce the visa backlog Existing Ongoing
migration system to and modernise the visa system commitment
improve the experience experience for migrants and
for migrants and employers
employers
Abolish unnecessary and duplicative New Initial
visas to simplify the visa system commitment consolidation to
occur in 2024
Embed simplification as a key Ongoing
objective of all actions in the
Migration Strategy
This indicative timeline reflects the Government’s intended implementation and consultation dates
and will be subject to further implementation and systems changes. The Government will provide
more specific timing closer to the implementation dates of each commitment.
