The Albanian government, led by Tony Burke, the Minister of Internal Affairs, has announced major changes in immigration policies, stopping the entry of students' families and imposing restrictions on holiday work visas. These changes aim to reduce the number of immigrants and improve the country's economic situation, significantly impacting the process of entry and residence of immigrants.
Fundamental changes in immigration policies
The Albanian government, by revising the points-based test for skilled workers, has focused on key sectors such as healthcare, construction, education, law enforcement, defense, natural resources, agriculture, and fisheries. These changes are designed to achieve the goal of reducing net foreign immigration to 225,000 by the 2027-2028 period. According to published statistics, the number of net foreign immigrants in the year ending in March has decreased to 292,100, which is better than the government's forecasts.
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New restrictions and consequences for students and workers
Under the new policies, international students can no longer bring their families, except in specific cases such as individuals from Pacific and ASEAN countries and those enrolled in doctoral programs. The holiday work visa program will also impose restrictions with a lottery system for its second and third years, allowing only 45,000 people in the second year and just 5,000 in the third year to obtain a visa. Additionally, the conditions for "no further stay" for visitor visas to prevent unauthorized immigration and the use of temporary visas will be significantly tightened.
The government is also seeking to control false asylum claims and increase the number of compliance officers and detention beds to ensure consequences for individuals who have not renewed their visas. Burke emphasized that this approach is merely a return to pre-2015 policies and expects to face significant criticism.
In light of these changes, the Albanian government aims to strike a balance between the country's economic and security needs while effectively managing immigration. Burke has stressed that if the reduction in the number of immigrants is done excessively, it will have negative impacts on the Australian economy.
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