The Australian government has decided to discontinue two visa programmes. The Business Innovation and Investment visa and the Global Talent visa will not be available any more. Instead, Australia will introduce a new innovation visa. This way, the Australian government aims to attract only the most highly skilled migrants.
Australia is popular among migrants
Australia is a popular destination for migrants. Between June 2022 and June 2023, the net migration to Australia amounted to 518,000 people. Many of these people want to settle in Australia permanently. Since Australia has a broad variety of visa programmes, many migrants can apply for permanent residency. Even though immigrants can have a positive effect on the Australian economy, it can also have negative effects. According to the Australian government, the high amount of migrants arriving in the country in recent years has contributed to the scarcity in the housing market and the high inflation. These are some of the factors why the Australian government has decided to handle stricter guidelines for issuing new visa.
Visa programmes are discontinued
This year, the Business Innovation and Investment Programme (BIIP) and the Global Talent visa were discontinued. The BIIP (also known as the golden visa) allowed successful entrepreneurs and business owners to migrate to Australia. This visa was revamped in 2021 to give the Australian economy a boost after the covid pandemic. The visa was supposed to attract foreign entrepreneurs and investors to Australia who would create jobs for the local economy. According to the Australian government, the goals of this visa programme were not reached, as the BIIP added little to the growth of the local economy.
The Global Talent visa was created for immigrants with an exceptional talent in science and technology. This programme will also be revamped. The Australian immigration service received a high number of applications, causing long processing times. Applications for these two visa programmes, that have already been submitted, will still be processed.
The innovation visa for Australia
The Australian government announced on 14 May to introduce a new innovation to replace the two other visa programmes. The innovation visa has a stricter selection procedure to only attract the most highly skilled migrants. Therefore, Australia should receive fewer migrants than in the past. The exact requirements for this new visa have not been published yet. The expectation is that only migrants who will contribute significantly to the Australian economy will be eligible.
Travel to Australia with an eVisitor visa
In most cases, travelling to Australia does not require a lengthy application procedure. If you travel for tourism or business purposes, you can apply for an eVisitor visa. Applications for this visa are processed in 5 days on average. You may also use this visa for business trips, e.g. to visit conventions and conferences or to meet business partners. However, you should not receive a compensation from an Australian organisation. You may sell products or services to Australian companies, as long as you work for an employer outside of Australia. The eVisitor visa allows you to stay in Australia for up to 3 months in a row. The visa is valid for 12 months. You may travel to Australia multiple times within the validity period of your visa.