MIGRATION CHANGES: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Yesterday the Federal Government announced a number of changes to Australia’s visa settings, with reforms set to affect Working Holiday makers, international students, and other temporary visa holders.

Experience Gold Coast acknowledges that the changes announced yesterday will impact operators and education institutions throughout the Gold Coast at a time when the visitor economy continues to rebuild from existing macro-economic challenges including consumer traveller confidence, price sensitivity and workforce shortages.

We also recognise that Working Holiday Makers and international students are an important part of the Gold Coast’s visitor economy and workforce, particularly across tourism, hospitality and accommodation and we wanted to provide a high level update on what has been announced so far.

WHAT CHANGES HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED?

For Working Holiday Makers (WHM):

A ballot system will be introduced for applicants meeting their working requirements to remain in Australia for years two and three of their WHM visas
This new ballot will see the number of national WHM places fall, with second year visas capped at 45,000 places (last year there were 57,000) and third-year visas capped at just 5,000 (last year there were 31,000)
There will be a standardised three-month processing timeframe for WHM applications.

For International Students:

Most new international students and graduates are no longer able to bring a partner or dependent child to Australia as secondary visa holders. Exceptions apply, including for students from ASEAN and Pacific countries and certain courses such as PhD programs. Existing family members already in Australia on a linked visa are not affected.
Students seeking to extend their stay will generally be required to progress to a higher qualification level, rather than moving to a course at the same or lower qualification level. For example, a student completing a Bachelor degree could progress to an Honours or Master’s qualification.

WHAT WILL THIS MEAN FOR YOU?

These changes will be particularly relevant for tourism and education partners, and especially those who rely on Working Holiday Makers as a part of your workforce.

Capping Working Holiday Maker numbers nation-wide will result in a smaller available labour pool and, ultimately, less WHM’s spending time here and working here outside their regulated work.

In short, changes to visa eligibility, processing times and how long temporary migrants are staying in Australia will have flow-on implications for workforce availability and recruitment.

For our education sector, we believe these reforms will impact international student demand and our national standing as a study destination. We note the government is not forecasting any changes to international student intake numbers, but we remain concerned about the implications of yesterday’s changes.

WHERE TO FROM HERE?

We recognise the importance of managing migration sustainably while ensuring tourism and hospitality businesses can access the workforce needed to support a growing visitor economy. We also recognise the importance of maintaining international student enrolments. We’re still awaiting the detailed implementation arrangements, including commencement and transitional provisions and continue to advocate for the best policy settings to support growth in tourism and education.

If you have any insights as to how these changes will impact your business operations, we want to hear from you. Please feel free to email IndustryPartnerships@experiencegoldcoast.com with any information we can use in our advocacy efforts.

Experience Gold Coast acknowledges and pays respect to the traditional Aboriginal people of the land where we stand and acknowledge all their descendants. We also acknowledge the many Aboriginal people from other regions as well as Torres Strait and South Sea Islander people who now live in the local area and have made an important contribution to the community.

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