Albanese government readies migration system overhaul
A special COVID era visa will be scrapped, penalties on migration agents will be increased and requirements for job ads will be removed under the changes.
A special COVID-19 era visa will be scrapped by the government within weeks as part of a number of changes to the nation's migration system. Increased penalties for migration agents who engage in misconduct and the removal of a blanket requirement that employers put out job advertisements before recruiting skilled migrants will also feature in the overhaul, Capital Brief has learned.
Labor has for months been working out how to respond to two separate reviews - one headed by former Treasury secretary Martin Parkinson into the overall migration system and one by former Victoria police commissioner Christine Nixon into visa exploitation - as well as what to about the "COVID-19 Pandemic event" visas.
The government has been criticised by the opposition for its use of the Covid visa, after 65,859 international students and temporary workers were issued with the permit between June, 2022 and March, 2023.
Three government sources, who were not authorised to speak publicly, confirmed Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles were working on a plan to abolish the visa as part of a wider set of reforms. The government wants to ensure there are alternative pathways for many of the people on the visa, and manage the others out of the country, before abolishing the visa.
