Australia may introduce ‘mandatory’ provisional visas before permanent residency

Migrants coming to Australia may have to spend a certain period of time on mandatory provisional visas before they are granted a permanent residency. The Immigration Department is exploring this possibility in a visa transformation discussion paper by inviting submissions from the public.

 

The number of persons in Australia applying for permanent residence has grown substantially over the last two decades. In 2015-16, around half of all permanent visas were granted to people already in Australia on a temporary visa.  This means that temporary residence is increasingly becoming the first step to living in Australia permanently.

 

It has also been argued that it’s in the national interest to facilitate a pathway to permanent residence for the “best and the brightest” international students and “skilled workers” and that some permanent visas include mandatory provisional visa stages.

 

However, under most of the permanent visa categories, migrants do not have to spend any time in Australia before they are granted permanent residency, which the discussion paper says is inconsistent with “like-minded countries”, such as the UK, the Netherlands and the US that have a more formal assessment process and period for evaluating those who seek to stay permanently.”

 

Though introducing such a probationary period for permanent migrants is likely to deliver budget savings, concerns have been raised that it could create a divide in the Australian society. The proposed reforms could undermine Australia's social cohesion and potentially increase the risk factors that may lead to violent extremism by creating a two-tier society where migrants are treated substantially differently to Australian citizens.

 

Major changes being discussed include slashing the number of visa categories from 99 to about 10 and making the visa system flexible so the government can respond more quickly to local and global trends.

 

Would you like to know your eligibility for a visa or seeking permanent residence? Call our office today on +61 3 9614 7111.