On Saturday October 26, 2019 Morrison Government MPs unveiled plans to encourage international students and migrants to live, study and work in Australia’s smaller cities and regions.
This follows an announcement made by the government in March of this year stating that it would reduce the permanent migration cap, from 190,000 to 160,000 places (in order to “tackle the impact of increasing population in congested cities”), allocating 23,000 places for regional visas. The outcome has been outstanding!
In line with this strategy, the Government has announced that, effective November 16; it will increase regional visa places to 25,000 and amend the definition of the term “regional”. Under this new definition, Perth and Gold Coast will no longer be classified as “major cities” and will instead be considered “regional”.
What are the benefits of this change? Gold Coast and Perth will remain an attractive destination for international students. It will now be easier to acquire residency in these two Australian destinations.
«If they commit to living and work in the regions for at least three years, they will eligible for permanent residency».
The reason behind this Government initiative is to encourage immigrants to live and work in areas that are classified as “regional”, which are less populated than large cities.
Accordingly, immigrants living outside major cities such as Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane will have access to 25,000 residence visas under priority processing. Furthermore, international students graduating from university living in these areas will be eligible to apply for longer-term visas to be able to stay and work in Australia upon completing their studies.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated:
“These changes will add to the attractiveness of cities and regional centers seeking to grow their populations to support local services such as schools and health care, while attracting new workers and students, ultimately leading to more jobs and increased investment.”
Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Minister Alan Tudge said:
“Nearly 70 percent of our population growth in recent years has been concentrated in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, driving up population figures across our major cities. Immigration stands as the main contributor to this growth. These changes are expected to bring more immigrants and international students to live, work and study in our smaller cities and regional areas”.
To learn more, visit the SBS, the Australian Government website and Migration WA.
