Thinking of working in Australia? A recruiter reads the Coalition's migration plan

Candidates have been asking us one question since Tuesday: does the Opposition's migration announcement change my plans? The honest answer is not yet, and possibly never. The Liberal and National Coalition released its policy on 6 October 2026, and it would only matter if the Coalition wins the next federal election and then puts the changes through. Until then it has no legal effect. The visa rules recruiters and employers work with today are the same as they were last week.

Still, it is worth understanding, because it signals where the debate is heading and what kind of candidate a future system might favour.

What the Coalition is putting forward

The centrepiece is a much lower net overseas migration figure: 100,000 a year for a Coalition government's first two years, rising to around 160,000 in year four. The Coalition presents this as the biggest cut to immigration Australia has seen, and says 100,000 would be the lowest since 2004 outside the pandemic, about where the late 1990s sat. It also says the plan would be budget-neutral, free up homes and relieve frontline services.

Two further figures matter for job seekers. First, the plan expects the population of temporary visa holders in Australia to shrink by about 650,000 over four years. Second, permanent skilled migration would remain capped at 185,000 places a year, with the option of lowering that number later to keep migration below new home completions under the party's housing pledge.

Skills in demand would count even more

The Coalition says skilled work visas would be tightly focused on the skills Australia needs. From a recruiter's chair, that is a familiar message: employers already look hardest at candidates who fill a genuine gap. Whatever happens at the election, matching a real need is the strongest position a candidate can be in.

To see which skills are short today, read our recruiter guide to how the Occupation Shortage List rates each occupation and what the latest figures mean for candidates.

How to stay competitive whatever happens

• Tailor your CV to the listed duties of each role, not a generic profile.
• Put verifiable experience first: employers, dates, responsibilities and results.
• Have certificates, licences and qualification documents scanned and ready to share.
• Look closely at occupations with clear demand and be honest about where your skills fit.
• Keep an eye on official Home Affairs information, such as the current visa list, rather than reacting to campaign headlines.

Labor, One Nation and the crossbench

The Coalition plan lands in a crowded field. A month earlier the Labor Government announced changes such as limits on international students bringing family, a clampdown on visa-hopping and visa priority for skilled workers in teaching, construction and agriculture. One Nation wants net overseas migration reduced by 750,000 over three years. An independent MP has argued that the Coalition's approach could bring the fear and division seen in the United States and parts of Europe into Australia's own immigration debate.

The Coalition platform also includes student measures, among them abolishing temporary graduate visas and cutting international student commencements to 240,000. Those are a separate story for anyone planning to study first.

The bottom line for candidates

Plan around the rules that exist, not a proposal that depends on an election result. Strong, relevant experience and a carefully prepared application are what move a candidate forward today.