Federal election 2022: Anthony Albanese to make it easier for foreigners to be permanent residents

Anthony Albanese will make it easier for foreign workers to get permanent residency in Australia if he wins the May election.

Speaking to the National Farmers Federation earlier this week, the Labor leader said too many migrants were deprived of the chance to stay in the country.

‘If you have people who are coming here temporarily, year after year, spending month after month here, why don’t we give them a bit of certainty and actually allow people to stay who are making a contribution to the country?’ he said.

Anthony Albanese (centre) will make it easier for foreign workers to get permanent residency in Australia if he wins the May election

Labor is set to announce proposed migration reforms during the election campaign and will potentially outline changes to the partner and parent visa subclasses.

Scott Morrison is expected to call the election for May 14 this weekend.

In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Labor’s Home Affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally said Australia was too reliant on temporary workers.

‘It’s creating a permanently temporary class of people – a second society where people are locked out of rights and services,’ she said.

‘It’s really quite sad given (former Prime Minister) John Howard said you either invite someone to come here permanently or you don’t invite them.’

Senator Keneally said Labor’s system would be one that ‘favours permanent over temporary, that has more pathways to permanency, that allows people to come here, settle, start businesses, build communities and raise families’.   

In its Budget the Morrison government set a ceiling of 160,000 places for its permanent migration program in 2022/23.

Labor is set to announce proposed migration reforms during the election campaign

The focus will be on skilled migration, with an expected return to a pre-pandemic composition of roughly two-thirds skilled and one-third family streams.

The skilled stream will rise to 109,900, comprising employer-sponsored (30,000 places), skilled independent (16,652 places) and state and territory nominated (20,000 places).

Regional visas will more than double to 25,000 places.

Of the 50,000 family stream places, the partner and child visa categories are estimated to deliver 40,500 and 3,000 visas respectively, while 6000 places will be available for parent visas.

Working holidaymakers will be encouraged through the availability of an extra 11,000 visas and a refund for their visa application charge.

The humanitarian program will remain at a ceiling of 13,750 places.

Temporary visas will be available to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.

An extra 16,500 places will be available for Afghan nationals over four years.

The budget papers showed net overseas migration is forecast to increase from -89,900 people in COVID-affected 2020/21 to 41,000 2021/22, before increasing to 213,000 in 2023/24.

Treasury noted it would boost consumption and dwelling investment.