Migration figures reveal massive jump in student and temporary worker visas

The number of temporary resident visas granted in the 2022-2023 financial year have beaten previous peaks recorded in 2018-19 by more than 120 per cent.

The number of temporary resident visas granted in the 2022-2023 financial year was more than 120 per cent above previous peaks.

The number of temporary resident visas granted in the last financial year passed the previous peak in 2018-19 by more than 120 per cent, while the number of student visas granted is more than 40 per cent higher than the old record.

New figures show more than 577,000 students were granted a visa in 2022-23, compared to 405,742 in 2018-19.

There were about 125,000 temporary graduate visas approved, more than double the old record of nearly 55,000.

Temporary resident skilled employment visas were down by almost 24,000 on the peak in 2012-13, which saw more than 126,000 granted. But the number of temporary resident visas granted for “other employment” – including the seasonal worker program, Pacific labour scheme, post-study work and “highly specialised work” – rose by nearly 280,000 compared to the peak of 186,000 in 2018-19, with about 465,000 visas approved in the 2022-23 financial year.

The Coalition seized on the figures, provided by the Home Affairs Department, and declared Australia’s housing crisis would worsen in 2024 as a result of the high rates of immigration.

“Under Labor’s migration system the record level of migration has been completely decoupled from the number of new homes built,” opposition housing spokesman Michael Sukkar wrote in The Australian.

“In 2023 Australia accepted approximately 520,000 new migrants. In that time 175,000 new homes were built. Without even taking account of the new homes needed to accommodate our organic population growth, these numbers tell the grim story.”

Opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan, who has for months accused the Albanese government of pursuing a “big Australia by stealth”, also raised the alarm and criticised Labor for refusing to set a target in bringing down migration levels.

The figures, which showed other classes such as the protection visa were down compared to 10 years ago, came after the government in December announced its 10-year migration strategy to bring migration back to “sustainable levels” by increasing minimum English language requirements for international students and introducing restrictions to stop onshore “visa hopping”, among other measures.

But Mr Sukkar said Labor had chosen the “sugar hit of migration-fuelled GDP growth” over young Australians having the opportunity to buy a home. “Does anyone really believe Labor will do a 180-degree turn and restrict migration to the level of new homes built? Of course not.”

He said the slow process of new home approvals had led to worse affordability and higher rents. “The combination of these two factors, being uncontrolled levels of migration and collapsing new home approvals, mean that buying a home will never be more difficult than in 2024,”he wrote.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers last month hit back at the Coalition’s attack on migration growth fuelling the housing crisis: “When you can’t get a tradie and you certainly can’t afford one, what sort of government decides to close the door to tradies coming into Australia?”

Housing Minister Julie Collins also defended Labor’s record and said the government was delivering “the most significant housing reforms in a generation after a decade of little action from the former Liberal government”.

“We’re working with states and territories to help them meet the ambitious new national target to build 1.2 million well-located new homes through our $3bn New Homes Bonus and $500m Housing Support Program,” she said.

“We’ve established the $10bn Housing Australia Future Fund, the single biggest investment in social and affordable rental housing in more than a decade, and applications will open for this funding later this month.”