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The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, announced the Migration Programme for 2014-15 will be set at 190 000 places. This covers the skill, family and special eligibility streams at 128 550, 60 885 and 565 places respectively.

The programme is strongly focused on the skill stream, for the economic benefits it brings to all Australians, and results in a split of 68 per cent skill and 32 per cent family.

Minor adjustments to the planning levels will target emerging needs in both the skill and family streams.

Places have been moved to the employer sponsored category from skilled independent. This helps employers, including those in regional areas, who have found they can’t fill jobs with local workers. It also benefits Australian workers, who will have less direct competition in the labour market from migrants who enter Australia without a formal job offer.

More places have been made available for the reunion of the closest of family members, partners and children. These places have been taken from the other family and parent (non-contributory) categories to maintain the balance of the programme. Contributory parent numbers have also increased.

Changes in 2012 removed the ability for IMAs to seek family reunion through the ‘split family’ provisions in the humanitarian programme. As a result, an additional 4000 places were allocated to the family stream of the annual migration programme to cater for the anticipated extra demand. These places are no longer available and have been removed from the Migration Programme, as announced in December 2013. This is yet another measure by which the government is providing a disincentive for people considering a dangerous boat journey to Australia.

More information on the 2014-15 Migration Programme settings is available at Fact Sheet 20 – Migration Programme planning levels.