Skilled migrants from the defence, healthcare, teaching and construction sectors are being prioritised under the latest directive issued by the Home Affairs Minister as the Albanese Government works to reduce Australia’s overall intake of new arrivals.
A “ministerial direction” quietly signed by Mr Burke late last month gives precedence to temporary visa holders already counted in Australia’s population for permanent status, while slowing down new arrivals from overseas.
Home Affairs insiders say the document, issued under Section 499 of the Migration Act 1958, is part of an overall government push to reduce net overseas migration as political pressure mounts from One Nation and other critics.
“Australia’s skilled migration program is targeted to support key industries and strategically important occupations that are in the national interest,” the ministerial direction states.
“The program is designed to select people who will make a positive contribution to the Australian economy and labour market and assist Australian businesses to access workers with skills that cannot be sourced from the local labour market.”
“Prioritising skilled migrants in occupations supporting law enforcement and Defence, and in healthcare, teaching, construction with a focus on housing, ensures the skilled migration program is providing the right skills in the right occupations.”
“Prioritising skilled migrants already contributing to Australia supports a sensible, measured approach to provide the skilled workers Australia needs,” the document signed on July 24 explains.
The Nightly has been told the Government has for several months been “fiddling with the dial” on various migration settings to bring down the Net Overall Migration (NOM) level.
In the May budget the Albanese government announced that the 2026–27 permanent Migration Program would be set at 185,000 places, with an “approximate 70:30 split between the Skilled and Family Programs”.
“The overall planning level and the Skill and Family split of the program are unchanged from 2025-26,” the Government confirmed in the Budget papers.
Appearing at the National Press Club on Wednesday, government frontbencher Chris Bowen defended the current “family reunion” provisions in Australia’s migration program, saying his own Western Sydney seat had a “deeply successful multicultural community”.
“I know that family reunion is also very important for our country,” the Climate Change Minister declared.
“Bringing parents to Australia, for example, bringing loved ones who then go on and contribute huge amounts.”
“Now, every program will have elements where you need to ensure compliance, of course, but the family union program is a very important one and very successful,” he told reporters.
Mining industry bodies however are worried de-prioritising new skilled labour applications from overseas will make it tougher to fill urgent workforce gaps, not just in mining but also in clean energy, advanced manufacturing, AI and cybersecurity.
“Without faster access to skilled migrants, labour shortages, especially in critical and hard to fill specialised roles, would put project timelines, export earnings, and the broader national economy at risk,” Minerals Council of Australia CEO Tania Constable told The Nighty.
“Demand from these sectors for specialised skills is already growing faster than migration pathways can adapt, and industry is frustrated and impeded by slow updates, credential barriers and settlement constraints.
“These changes will make it harder for mining and other sectors to drive innovation, lift productivity and reinforce the nation’s position as a key contributor to national economic resilience and the global economy.”
Members of the defence industry sector say the prioritisation of skilled migrants in the defence sector aligns with the impending expansion of the AUKUS program as US nuclear-powered submarines begin rotations in Western Australia next year.
Acting Opposition Leader Jane Hume said the coalition was in favour of skilled migrants., declaring: “we want to bring them here to not just fill the skills gaps, but to also build those businesses of the future, that productive economy of the future”.
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