Inquiry into the Value of Skilled Migration to Australia
16 September 2026
On 11 September 2026, the Law Council of Australia attended a hearing of the inquiry by the Joint Standing Committee on Migration into the value of skilled migration to Australia. The Law Council was represented by Carina Ford, the co-chair of the Migration Law Committee of the Federal Dispute Resolution Section, and Alan Freckelton, Senior Policy Lawyer.
At the hearing, the Law Council received a number of questions relating to Labour Market Testing, processing timeframes, consultation on recent Ministerial Directions, and how the migration system can better support employers and regional Australia. The Law Council highlighted that skilled migration has long been recognised to bring high economic, social and cultural value to Australia, and reiterated several recommendations in its January 2026 submission to the inquiry for legal and other system improvements to Australia’s Skilled Migration Program, including:
- sector-specific measures so that the Skilled Migration Program effectively meets labour market and social needs;
- streamlined Labour Market Testing requirements;
- an increased number of grants of National Innovation Visas;
- reform to the points test;
- release of the findings of the Government’s review of the points test system;
- better incentives for high-achieving student visa holders to stay in Australia;
- opening the Essential Skills pathway within the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) category;
- action to address visa processing delays; and
- the adoption of clear objectives and principles for the migration system to help build and maintain public trust and confidence in that system.
In response to recent policy developments, including the introduction of new Ministerial Directions on processing priorities without prior consultation and other reforms yet to be announced, the Law Council emphasised the importance of sufficiently clear, certain and predictable settings in the migration law system as a key principle of the rule of law, that would also support migration lawyers to provide advice to their clients. The Law Council also encouraged the Committee to consider comparative overseas migration programs to identify successful policy approaches to attract highly skilled migrants.
Last Updated on 15/09/2026