Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

The Migration (Visa Pre-application Process) Charge Bill 2023 introduces legislation to impose a nominal charge on registered participants in a visa pre-application process, administered by the Department of Home Affairs.

This bill complements and supports the amendments in the Migration Amendment (Australia's Engagement in the Pacific and Other Measures) Bill 2023, which makes amendments to the Migration Act 1958to introduce a visa pre-application process (a ballot).

This bill allows for regulations to be made to prescribe an amount in Australian dollars that can be imposed on a person registering in a visa pre-application process, which can be nil up to a maximum charge of A$100, with the ability to prescribe different amounts for different visa pre-application processes, and for different classes of persons.

For the Pacific engagement visa ballot, this will be a nominal registration charge of $25. Regulations prescribing a charge would be disallowable by the Parliament. The Migration Amendment (Australia's Engagement in the Pacific and Other Measures) Bill 2023 provides that any visa pre-application process charge is to be paid at the time of registration and establishes that the regulations may make provisions for remissions, refunds and waivers of, and exemptions to, the charge.

A bill to impose a charge to register in a visa pre-application process is necessary to ensure the ballot does not attract non-genuine participants and preserves the opportunity for genuine participants who intend to apply for the relevant visa should they be successful in the ballot draw.

Subject to the passage of this bill and the prerequisite Migration Amendment (Australia's Engagement in the Pacific and Other Measures) Bill 2023, consequential amendments will be made to the Migration Regulations 1994to create a new Pacific engagement visa subclass.

This package of legislative reforms delivers on the government's commitment to establish a new permanent Pacific engagement visa program to boost Pacific permanent migration to Australia, secure our region and build a stronger Pacific family.

I commend this bill to the chamber.

Debate adjourned.