One Nation has just announced a new immigration policy, proposing to reduce more than 750,000 temporary visa holders and people without legal residence status in Australia within 3 years if this party wins the election. One Nation’s new policy is attracting attention in the context that immigration continues to be one of the controversial topics in Australia.
Proposal to reduce migrants by more than 750,000 over 3 years
One Nation leader, Senator Pauline Hanson, said the new plan aims to bring the number of temporary visa holders in Australia to the same level as around 2017. At the same time, the party wants to bring the number study abroad international students have returned to the same level as around 2015. According to data cited by 9News, the number of people holding temporary visas in Australia has increased from about 1.6 million in 2021 to 2.9 million. people by 2026.
One Nation said the policy’s goal is to sharply reduce the size of the temporary migrant population during its initial implementation.
Net migration could be negative in the first three years
According to the proposal, in the first 3 years, Australia will have a negative net migration level. After this period, One Nation proposes to maintain a net migration ceiling of 130,000 people per year. This is considered a significant change compared to the current migration scale. However, this is the policy proposed by One Nation, not the official immigration policy of the Australian Government.
International students are still accepted
Although it wants to reduce the number of international students, One Nation said schools university can still accept more than 100,000 international students each year. It is worth noting that universities with the ability to provide accommodation for international students will be given priority. This shows that One Nation’s proposal does not aim to completely eliminate the flow of international students but focuses on reducing the size and controlling the number of temporary visa holders.
Skilled labor and seasonal labor programs are maintained
According to the announced policy, the temporary skilled labor migration program is still maintained based on the actual recruitment needs of businesses. Employers can still sponsor skilled labor when the need arises. One Nation also said it will maintain existing seasonal worker programs, including PALM and Working Holiday Maker.
This is a notable point for industries in regional areas that rely significantly on the international workforce.
Proposal to handle people who have overstayed their visa
Another notable content in the policy is how One Nation proposes to handle people who are overstaying their visa in Australia. According to the proposal, these people will have 3 months to leave Australia. Those who comply with the deadline may have the opportunity to apply to return to Australia in the future. Conversely, those who do not comply could face a lifetime entry ban.
Temporarily stop accepting migrants from some countries
One Nation also proposed to “temporarily” accept migrants from countries that are on terrorism alerts or identified by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as posing serious security risks. In addition, the policy also proposes cutting public funding for legal aid services related to visa appeals.
Agriculture warns of the risk of labor shortage
Proposals to sharply cut the number of migrants also faced reactions from the Australian agricultural industry. The president of the National Farmers Federation warned that this plan could have a major impact on farms, increasing costs and impacting production activities. The agricultural industry believes that Australia needs a large number of workers under the Working Holiday Maker program to meet human resource needs in regional areas.
The Australian government is also preparing a new immigration policy
The debate over migration levels is taking place at a time when the Labor Government is said to be preparing to announce its own immigration policy. Meanwhile, Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Tony Burke has yet to re-announce his speech schedule at the National Press Club, after the event scheduled for August was canceled due to debate within the cabinet. Therefore, Australia’s immigration policy in the near future is still an issue that needs continued monitoring, especially for international students, skilled workers and those who are planning to apply for a visa. Australia.
One Nation’s proposal is the policy of a political party, which does not mean that the above changes have been approved or officially adopted by the Australian Government. People preparing visa applications should monitor information from Australian authorities before making decisions related to their application.
Source: 9News
