$19 millionAustralia’s net migration will be halved within two years in a dramatic move to slash the annual intake from a record high of 510,000 by imposing tougher tests on overseas students and turning away workers with low skills.
The new migration strategy will demand students pass a stronger English-language test and will require them to prove they are genuine students before they enter the country, while making it harder for them to stay if they do not find jobs that help fix the nation’s skills shortages. Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil is to unveil on Monday Labor’s strategy to bring down the immigration level.The government remains open to more controversial measures, such as a cap on student numbers or higher fees on their visa applications, if the sweeping new plan does not cut the net migration intake to 250,000 by the year to June 202