Under the framework of the 'Australians First' immigration policy, the difficulty of seeking employment and immigrating to Australia from overseas is gradually increasing. However, some scholars believe that the new Australian immigration policy has not achieved the effect of 'Australian jobs for Australians.' If the federal government truly wants to preserve local employment opportunities, it needs to take action to significantly reduce the number of immigrants to Australia.
1. The Australian Federal Government Continues to Tighten Immigration Policies
The Australian employer-sponsored 457 visa has been confirmed to be canceled and replaced by the new Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa. The new TSS visa will officially launch in March 2018, meaning that the changes to the Australian employer-sponsored 457 visa will take immediate effect and be phased in by March 2018. This means that the pathway to permanent residency in Australia through the 457 visa has become increasingly difficult.
Meanwhile, to encourage Australian employers to reduce the hiring of overseas labor and seek suitable talent from the local job market, thereby increasing employment opportunities for Australians, starting from March 2018, employers sponsoring overseas employees for skilled migration visas will be required to pay a fee, which will depend on the annual turnover of the business. Additionally, the citizenship test for Australian immigrants has also been further tightened, becoming more stringent than ever before.
2. Increased Housing Pressure in Australian Cities Due to Immigration
According to statistics, in the 2015-16 fiscal year, the Australian Immigration Department approved a total of 189,770 Australian immigration applications, including 128,550 overseas skilled migrants and their families; 57,400 family reunion visas, the majority of whom are spouses or partners of Australian citizens.
Furthermore, a report released by the Australian Population Research Institute shows that the growth of immigration in recent years has brought significant changes to Australia's two most livable and work-friendly regions—New South Wales and Victoria, particularly in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne. As the number of immigrants to Australia increases, housing prices in Sydney and Melbourne are rapidly soaring, creating an urgent need for more affordable housing. By 2022, it is expected that new immigrants to Australia will increase the demand for housing in Sydney by approximately 64% and in Melbourne by about 54%.
3. Scholars Call for Reduction of Australia's Immigration Quota
Rough estimates indicate that before the arrival of the new fiscal year, approximately 60,000 people apply for permanent immigration to Australia each year, while 45,000 apply for the 457 visa. Among those applying for permanent immigration to Australia, the most common occupational category is computer-related professions, with around 10,000 applicants, followed by engineers with about 6,800 applicants, and accountants with around 6,300 applicants. In occupational fields where the number of applicants reaches an average of 30, job competition is exceptionally fierce, making it difficult for local job seekers to find employment in these industries.
Faced with the situation where the new Australian immigration policy has not achieved the expected results, the director of the Australian Population Research Institute suggests that to preserve local employment opportunities, the Australian federal government should reduce the current quota for permanent immigration to Australia by at least half and should also reduce the issuance of skilled migration visas.