Australia's permanent Migration Program is carefully designed to achieve a range of economic and social outcomes that meet Australia’s needs.
The permanent Migration Program is planned annually, with program settings announced as part of the Federal Budget each year.
The Department of Home Affairs (the Department) undertakes comprehensive consultation to inform the size and composition of the Migration Program each year, including advice from States and Territories, Government agencies, industry, academia and the public.
The 2022-23 Migration Program has been designed to boost Australia’s economic recovery and drive social cohesion outcomes in the post-pandemic environment. The 2022-23 Migration Program will have a planning level of 160,000 places with the following composition:
- Skill (109,900 places) – this stream is designed to improve the productive capacity of the economy and fill skill shortages in the labour market, including those in regional Australia.
- Family (50,000 places) – 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.
- From 2022-23, Partner visas will be granted on a demand driven basis to facilitate family reunification. This will help reduce the Partner visa pipeline and processing times for many applicants.
- 40,500 Partner visas are estimated for 2022-23 for planning purposes, noting this estimate is not subject to a ceiling.
- 3000 Child visas are estimated for 2022-23 for planning purposes, noting this category is demand driven and not subject to a ceiling.
- Special Eligibility (100 places) – this stream covers visas for those in special circumstances, including permanent residents returning to Australia after a period overseas.
The Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs can redistribute places between Skill stream visa categories on an ongoing basis to respond to changing economic conditions as they occur.
Migration Program planning levels as announced as part of the 2021-22 and 2022-23 Federal Budgets
| Visa Stream | Visa Category | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skill | Employer-Sponsored | 22,000 | 30,000 |
| Skilled Independent | 6,500 | 16,652 | |
| Regional | 11,200 | 25,000 | |
| State/Territory Nominated | 11,200 | 20,000 | |
| Business Innovation & Investment | 13,500 | 9,500 | |
| Global Talent (Independent) | 15,000 | 8,448 | |
| Distinguished Talent | 200 | 300 | |
| Skill Total | 79,600 | 109,900 | |
| Family | Partner* (Demand driven: estimate, not subject to a ceiling) |
72,300 | 40,500 |
| Parent | 4,500 | 6,000 | |
| Child* (Demand-driven: estimate, not subject to a ceiling) |
3,000 | 3,000 | |
| Other Family | 500 | 500 | |
| Family Total | 77,300** | 50,000 | |
| Special Eligibility | 100 | 100 | |
| Total Migration Program | 160,000 | 160,000 | |
* Planning levels for these categories are estimates only as they are demand driven and not subject to a ceiling.
**The total for the Family stream in 2021-22 does not include the Child category. For planning purposes both Child and Partner visa categories are counted towards the total Family stream in 2022-23.
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