With the re-election of the Coalition government, we can now expect to see their immigration election promises to be rolled out.
In March, it was announced that the permanent migration cap would be cut to 160,000 from 190,000.
While limited changes to the temporary migration scheme have been announced, the reduction in permanent visa grants will have a serious impact on migrants planning for their future in Australia. In particular, we expect to see an emphasis on regional permanent visas to foster rural development.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also confirmed the Coalition would freeze Australia's annual refugee intake level to 18,750 for the next three years. This announcement came in contrast to Labor policy seeking to increase humanitarian intake to 32,000 by 2025-26.
It is not yet clear if any changes will be made to citizenship requirements as the Government may seek to reintroduce the Australian Citizenship Legislation Amendment (Strengthening the Requirements for Australian Citizenship and Other Measures) Bill, which was removed from Senate notice paper in late 2017.
At the time, the Government sought to increase the English requirement to "competent" (a score of at least six in each band on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam) and to increase the residency requirement to four years as a permanent resident, up from four years general residency including one year as a permanent resident.
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