The Australian Government has outlined its plans for the 2024 - 2025 Permanent Migration Program, aimed at addressing critical skill shortages, enhancing economic productivity, supporting the transition to net-zero emissions, and promoting social cohesion. The program encompasses various visa streams and categories, with a focus on skilled migration, family reunification, and special circumstances.

In terms of figures, the 2024-25 Permanent Migration Program is set at a planning level of 185,000, prioritizing skilled migrants. The program maintains a distribution of approximately 71% for skilled visas and 28% for family visas.

Breaking down the allocations further:

• Skill stream (132,200 places, approximately 71 per cent of the program) – This stream has been designed to improve the productive capacity of the economy and fill skill shortages in the labour market, particularly those in regional Australia.
• Family stream (52,500 places, approximately 28 per cent 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, and 3,000 Child visas are estimated for 2024–25 for planning purposes.

Australia’s Immigration Plan of 2024 – 2025

Visa Stream	Visa Category	2023–24 Plan	2024–25 Plan
Skill	Employer Sponsored	36,825	44,000
	Skilled Independent	30,375	16,900
	Regional	32,300	33,000
	State/Territory Nominated	30,400	33,000
	Business Innovation & Investment	1,900	1,000
	Global Talent (Independent)	5,000	4,000
	Distinguished Talent	300	300
	Skill Total	137,100	132,200
Family	Partner	40,500	40,500
	Parent	8,500	8,500
	Child	3,000	3,000
	Other Family	500	500
	Family Total	52,500	52,500
	Special Eligibility	400	300
	Total Migration Program	190,000	185,000

2024–25 state and territory nomination allocations

State	Skilled Nominated (Subclass 190) visa	Skilled Work Regional (Subclass 491) visa
ACT	600	600
NSW	2,650	1,500
NT	250	400
QLD	900	650
SA	1,100	1,200
TAS	600	600
VIC	2,700	600
WA	1,500	850
Total	10,300	6,400

Skill Stream (132,200 Invitations):

The Skill stream constitutes approximately 71% of the program and is designed to bolster the economy’s productive capacity and alleviate skill shortages, including those in regional areas. The stream includes several visa categories, such as:

• Employer-Sponsored
• Skilled Independent
• Regional
• State/Territory Nominated
• Business Innovation & Investment
• Global Talent (Independent)
• Distinguished Talent

Within the framework of the 2024-25 Permanent Migration Program, a total of 16,900 invitations have been designated for Skilled Independent visas (Subclass 189). This is a decrease compared to the 2023–24 program allocation of 30,375 invitations.

Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) Visa Category

Since the Australian Government is addressing immediate workforce shortages, the allocation of invitations for the Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) in the 2024-25 Migration Program has undergone a substantial reduction. This reduction has led to a decrease in the number of visas, with the allocation dropping from 1,900 visas in the previous year (2023-24) to 1,000 visas for the current year (2024-25).

The Govt. is also planning to New National Innovation visa to replace BIIP by end of 2024.

Global Talent Visa Category

As the Global Talent Visa (GTV) program delivers high-caliber skills for Australia through the targeted recruitment of exceptionally talented individuals in key sectors, the 2024-25 permanent Migration Program has maintained 4,000 invitations for the Global Talent Visa (GTV) Program.

Family Stream (52,500 invitations):

Comprising around 28% of the program, the Family stream focuses on family reunification and social cohesion. It includes visa categories like:

• Partner visas (40,500 invitations)
• Parent visas (8,500 invitations)
• Child visas (3,000 invitations)
• Other Family visas (500 invitations)

Special Eligibility Stream (300 invitations):

This stream caters to individuals with unique circumstances, such as permanent residents returning to Australia after residing overseas.

State and Territory Nominations

States and territories receive nomination allocations for visa categories like Skilled Nominated (subclass 190), and Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491). Each state’s allocation corresponds to their unique criteria for assessing eligible applicants.

This time, the Govt. is aimed at addressing economic and labor force challenges in specific regions of Australia.

Net Overseas Migration (NOM)

The permanent Migration Program is just one facet of net overseas migration (NOM), which includes temporary migration, citizens, New Zealanders, and Humanitarian migrants. NOM is projected to reach 400,000 in 2022–23 and 315,000 in 2023–24, primarily due to returning temporary migrants after the pandemic. This increase is expected to be transient, with NOM forecasted to normalize from 2024–25. The permanent Migration Program only partially influences NOM in the short term, as a significant portion of visas are granted to migrants already within Australia.

This strategic approach to Australia’s migration program maintains a focus on skilled migrants, aligns with economic goals, and aims to ensure migrants’ integration into society.

Key Highlights

2024–25 Permanent Migration Program Planning Levels

• Total planning level set at 185,000 visas.
• Approximately 70:30 split between Skill and Family streams.

Employer Sponsored Visa Category

• Planning level increased from 36,825 visas (2023–24) to 44,000 visas.
• Expands pathways to permanent residence, especially through the Temporary Residence Transition Stream.

State/Territory Nominated Visa Category

• Planning level increased to 33,000 visas.
• Regional category increased to 33,000 visas.
• Together, these categories account for 36% of the overall planning level and 50% of the Skill stream.
• Aimed at addressing economic and labor force challenges in specific regions.

Skilled Independent Visa Category

• Allocated 16,900 places.
• Decrease from 30,375 places in 2023–24 but higher than pre-COVID levels.

Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) Visa Category

• Planning level reduced from 1,900 visas to 1,000 visas.
• BIIP to be closed from July 2024, with no new applications accepted.
• New National Innovation visa to replace BIIP by end of 2024.

Global Talent Visa Category

• Planning level set at 4,000 visas.
• Transitioning to the new National Innovation visa.

Family Stream

• Partner visa category operates on a demand-driven model.
• Parent visa program remains at 8,500 places.
• Other Family category (including Aged Dependent Relative, Remaining Relative, and Carer programs) remains at 500 places.
• Child visa program remains demand-driven, set at 3,000 places.