- More migrants than forecast for 2024-25
Australia’s immigration levels are expected to keep climbing at a higher level than previously anticipated – calling into question Labor’s promise to slow population growth.
Treasury’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook forecast 340,000 migrants arriving in Australia in 2024-25.
That’s significantly higher than the 260,000 level forecast for this financial year in the May Budget.
But even those revised forecasts could be way off with 448,090 migrants arriving in Australia on a permanent and long-term basis in the year to October.
This number was closer to the record-high intake of 548,800 in the year to September 2023, and it was also higher than the 445,600 level for 2023-24.
The big influx of international students is putting pressure on rents in Australia’s big cities.
The flood of migrants into Sydney is also leading to a huge exodus of residents from Australia’s most expensive city to south-east Queensland, further driving up house prices.
The Budget update had 255,000 migrants arriving in 2025-26, with Treasury’s December forecast unchanged from May.
Australia’s immigration levels are expected to keep climbing at a higher level than previously anticipated – calling into question Labor’s promise to slow population growth (pictured is Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall)
But even this figure would be higher than the mining boom levels of 2007, when 244,000 migrants moved to Australia.
It would also be more than double the 106,425 intake of 2004.
