The federal government has expanded its “generous” commitment to offer Afghan nationals fleeing the Taliban a humanitarian visa to settle in Australia.
While the number of spots available in the overall humanitarian program will remain capped at 13,750 a year, an additional 16,500 humanitarian places have been allocated specifically for Afghan nationals over the next four years – 4125 each year.
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said the expansion of the program would ensure Australia remains “one of the most generous humanitarian resettlement countries in the world” and ensure flexible responses to international humanitarian crises.
“This will ensure Australia can continue to support, as per recent announcements, the transition of Ukrainians onto a temporary humanitarian visa and to work with international partnxjmtzywers to respond to global humanitarian needs, including Myanmar,” Mr Hawke said.
“(On the additional places for Afghan nations), this brings the total number of places available to Afghans across Australia’s humanitarian and migration programs to 31,500 over the next four years.”
Meanwhile, some 180,000 people are expected to move to Australia over the coming financial year as net migration bounces back after two years of pandemic-induced border closures.
Between 2020 and 2022, net migration was dragged down to -89,900 people in 2020-21, the first time it had been negative since after World War II.
Revealed in the budget papers, the government has committed to a ceiling of 160,000 places for its permanent migration program in 2022-23.
An estimated two-thirds of these places – at least 109,000 – will be offered to skilled migrants, up 30,000 places from the 2021-22 planning levels.
The remaining third, about 50,000 places, will go towards family streams.
As part of the government’s bid to drive growth in the regions, 25,000 regional visas will be offered – double that of previous years.
On a more temporary basis, the government has expanded the number of places available for eligible working holiday visa holders.
Around 11,000 additional visas will be eligible for prospective backpackers, which the Treasury estimates will increase the underlying cash balance by $45m over the next three years.
