2021-22 Budget: Planning levels to remain at 160,000; backlog of partner visas processing

The 2021-22 Federal Budget has been handed down and given the uncertainty on when international borders will open, the extraordinary changes that occurred for this program year will be maintained for next.

As with every Budget, insights into what can be expected for the next program year, which starts on 1 July, is important for any intending migrant. Knowing what the migration planning levels are, and particularly which streams the government is prioritising, can make or break a foreign national’s chances of applying for a visa. This was especially the case for General Skilled Migration visas that saw the SkillSelect invitation system turn on its head this year, seeing nurses, medical practitioners and laboratory scientists scooping most of the invitations.

With the government reluctant to open borders, the takeaway from this year’s Budget is that the status quo will be maintained. Planning levels will remain at 160,000 and importantly the streams will also remain the same. The numbers, with comparisons to the 2019-20 planning levels can be found here.

The Budget particularly mentions a focus on onshore applicants and reducing the partner visa pipeline (at page 11).

Furthermore, the humanitarian program, which is separate to the skilled and family streams, will also remain at 13,750 places with the caveat that there is no obligation to grant the full allocation.

Whether the “bespoke” invitations for the General Skilled Migration program will continue will only be known when the first invitation round for the next program year is published.