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The Migrant Workers Centre (MWC) has made a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Migration’s Inquiry into the Value of Skilled Migration to Australia.
Australia has long relied on migration to support economic growth, address labour shortages, and respond to an ageing population. Migrant workers contribute across Australia’s supply chains, frontline care and service sectors, and other essential roles, and are a central part of Australia’s workplaces and communities.
Migrant workers, including temporary visa holders, are members of Australian society and potential future citizens. Their rights and entitlements must be central to the design and operation of the skilled migration program.
While recent reforms reflect growing recognition of migrant workers’ rights, significant challenges remain. Many migrant workers continue to experience insecure work, exploitation, visa uncertainty, limited pathways to permanency, and barriers to skills recognition. Migration policy is also frequently politicised, undermining evidence-based reform and contributing to racism and discrimination.
This submission calls for a skilled migration program grounded in rights, fairness, and dignity, consistent with the Migration Review (2023) and the Australian Government’s Migration Strategy (2023).
Summary of recommendations
Recommendation 1.
The Australian Government must strengthen its commitment to migrant workers’ rights by ratifying key international labour migration instruments, including the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families.
Recommendation 2.
Urgently resource and implement the National Anti-Racism Framework, establish a Taskforce to oversee its delivery, and include a dedicated plan for affected communities, including visa-holders. The Framework should be supported by sustained, evidence-based strategies to improve public understanding of skilled migration through community campaigns, partnerships with migrant-led organisations, and resources that counter harmful stereotypes and misinformation.
Recommendation 3.
Make the Workplace Justice Visa and the Strengthening Reporting Protections a permanent fixture of Australia’s migration system, and implement the reforms set out in our Policy Brief to address current design and implementation limitations.
Recommendation 4.
Provide ongoing, dedicated funding for education, information, and outreach initiatives that inform migrant workers of their workplace rights, including the Protecting Migrant Workers – Information and Education package.
Recommendation 5.
Remove visa conditions that heighten the risk of migrant worker exploitation for prospective skilled migrants, including Conditions 8105 and 8547.
Recommendation 6.
Replace the current skilled and employer-sponsored migration schemes with an accessible, worker-led (self-nominated) temporary visa scheme in areas of identified skills shortage, with a clear pathway to self-nominated permanent residency after two years.
Recommendation 7.
Give effect to the recommendations of Settlement Services International’s Billion Dollar Benefit report and the Activate Australia’s Skills campaign by:
- investing in workplace-ready English language programs;
- streamlining overseas qualifications assessment and recognition;
- expanding targeted pathways into skilled employment, particularly for migrant women and secondary applicants; and
- addressing discrimination in the labour market.
