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How Australia’s coronavirus crisis could reshape the treatment of temporary migrants

Scott Morrison, Australian Prime Minister, has claimed the need for an open mind on post coronavirus migration Overhaul. According to Morrison, Australia requires to see temporary visa holders as those meeting workforce shortages, especially on jobs that Australians are reluctant to perform.

Last year, Australian migration intake got reduced to around 72000 people. As a result, the agricultural and hospitality industries seem to be struggling the most to meet their workforce demands as temporary visa holders are the ones performing these activities. Therefore, Morrison suggested that temporary visas and their conditions should be reviewed to ensure workforce flow in regional and local regions. This initiative would also have a significant impact on bringing overseas migration rates back to positive levels before 2022-23.

On the other hand, Kristina Keneally, NSW senator, has made a call out for more permanent visa pathways to encourage qualified-migration. However, in the meantime, NSW Treasurer, Dom Perrottet, said he wants to prioritise International Students over Australians to keep the local economy ticking. He said that by changing who gets a seat on the limited flights coming into Sydney on weekly basis, the state would be able to keep the country’s fourth-largest export.

We probably just need to wait and see what the outcome is – but so far, Australia is going deep down the whole to ensure the economic recovery after COVID. The good thing for us is, that it seems to be directly linked with International Students, being one of the biggest economic sectors within the Australian Economy.

Source ABC and SBS