Immigration Minister David Coleman gave a speech to the Sydney Institute on Tuesday night.
He outlined the new permanent Global Talent independent scheme:
Home Affairs staff will be placed on the ground in key overseas locations, with the task of recruiting very high value migrants. Last month, an officer commenced work in Berlin, and next month we will be placing staff in Washington, Singapore, Shanghai, Santiago and Dubai. This direct overseas recruitment effort is the first of its kind in our immigration programme. Our overseas teams will work with the world’s top universities, professional associations and other institutions to market the Global Talent program to exceptional candidates.
He flagged a review of investment visas:
These visas are premised on the idea that investment in the Australian economy is a positive thing, and that people who want to provide job-creating capital should be encouraged to do so. It makes sense. But as with all ideas, we need to sharply focus on the practical execution to ensure that we are fully delivering on the goal. To that end, I will be reviewing our business investment visas with a simple question in mind: can we get a better deal for Australia? Immigration to Australia is highly attractive to this cohort, and we need to ensure that we maximise the returns to our economy from their investment.