On May 14, 2024, the Australian Government announced the planning levels for the 2024–25 permanent Migration Program, setting it at 185,000 places. This program aims to address skill shortages in priority sectors and prioritise visa processing for regional Australia while we continue to develop a highly skilled domestic workforce. The 2024–25 Migration Program acknowledges the significant contribution of migrants to social cohesion, focusing on strengthening family and community ties within Australia. A well-targeted, skills-focused Migration Program enhances the working-age population, increasing participation rates and the size of the labour force.
The composition of the 2024–25 permanent Migration Program is as follows:
The Australian Government has set the planning level for the 2024–25 permanent Migration Program at 185,000 places, with an approximate 70:30 split between the Skill and Family streams.
The planning level for Employer-Sponsored visas has been increased from 36,825 in 2023–24 to 44,000 for the 2024–25 program. This adjustment builds on the expanded pathway to permanent residence introduced in November 2023, facilitating a greater proportion of temporary migrants to secure permanent residency through the Temporary Residence Transition Stream.
For the 2024–25 Migration Program, the planning level for State/Territory Nominated visas has been raised to 33,000, with the same allocation for the Regional category. Together, these categories represent 36% of the total planning level and 50% of the Skill stream. The increased levels aim to address specific economic and labor force challenges by attracting skilled migrants to various jurisdictions and supporting regional Australia’s development.
The Government has allocated 16,900 places for Skilled Independent visas in the 2024–25 Migration Program. This is a decrease from the 2023–24 allocation of 30,375 but remains significantly higher than the COVID-era planning levels of 7,500 and 6,500 places in 2020–21 and 2021–22, respectively.
The planning level for the BIIP has been reduced from 1,900 visas in 2023–24 to 1,000 visas for the 2024–25 program. The Government has announced that no new allocations will be made under the BIIP while a new National Innovation visa is being developed. The BIIP will be closed permanently from July 2024, and new applications for the Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) (subclass 188) visa will no longer be accepted. Existing subclass 188 visa applications will continue to be processed according to Government priorities. The BIIP’s reduction is part of a shift towards focusing on highly-skilled individuals to support a stronger economy.
The planning level for the Global Talent Visa Program has been slightly reduced to 4,000 visas for the 2024–25 Migration Program. This adjustment aligns with the Government’s broader reforms on talent and innovation. The program will transition to the new National Innovation visa by the end of 2024, which will offer a permanent visa pathway for exceptional talents, including high-performing entrepreneurs, major investors, and global researchers. The Global Talent visa program will be integrated with the new National Innovation visa arrangements.
The Government has maintained the size of the Family stream, recognizing its importance in Australia’s migration system. It facilitates family reunification and contributes to social cohesion. The Partner visa category remains the largest within this stream, now operating under a demand-driven model to address the benefits of family reunification and manage processing times. The Parent visa program remains at 8,500 places, and the Other Family category (including Aged Dependent Relative, Remaining Relative, and Carer visas) is maintained at 500 places.
The Child visa program, which is demand-driven, is set at 3,000 places. This program prioritizes the reunification of children with Australian parents or family sponsors, ensuring that the best interests of the child are considered as a primary factor.
The permanent Migration Program is just one aspect of net overseas migration (NOM), which also encompasses temporary migration, such as Working Holiday Makers and Students, as well as Australian citizens, New Zealanders, and Humanitarian migrants.
Since 2022–23, the size of the permanent Migration Program has decreased, and it is not the primary driver of recent fluctuations in NOM. Approximately 60% of visas issued under the permanent Migration Program are granted to migrants who are already onshore, residing in established households at the time of their visa grant. This means the program’s immediate impact on housing, infrastructure, and services is minimized.
Starting from the 2025–26 period, Australia’s Migration Program will transition to a multi-year planning model, extending the planning horizon from the current annual cycle to four years.
This extended outlook will allow migration planning to better align with long-term infrastructure, housing, and services planning across all levels of government. The multi-year approach will consider housing supply as a key factor in shaping the direction of long-term migration planning.
Public consultation on the size and composition of the first four-year cycle, covering 2025–26 to 2028–29, will begin later this year.
SUBCLASS 190 & SUBCLASS 491 ALLOCATIONS -
| STATE | SUBCLASS 491 | SUBCLASS 190 |
| ACT | 800 | 1,000 |
| NSW | 2,000 | 3,000 |
| NT | 800 | 800 |
| QLD | 600 | 600 |
| SA | 800 | 3,000 |
| TAS | 760 | 2,100 |
| VIC | 2,000 | 3,000 |
| WA | 2,000 | 3,000 |
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