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Australia’s immigration system is overwhelmingly geared towards lower-skilled workers.
Every skilled permanent visa class allows the primary applicant to include a spouse/partner and dependent children as secondary applicants. Even though they are counted in the skilled stream, secondary applicants do not need a skills assessment, meet occupation list requirements, a points test, or meet minimum salary requirements.
Analysis of Department of Home Affairs permanent visa data reveals that over the 10 years to 2024-25, 53% of permanent skilled visas were secondary visas issued to family members of primary skilled migrants.
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About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness.
Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.
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