‘Best and brightest’ ONLY: Government cracks down on poorly skilled migrants and dole bludgers

Poorly skilled migrants will struggle to receive immigration visas amid the government’s plan to crackdown on dole bludgers.

Only the ‘best and brightest’ immigrants will be welcomed into Australia, according to the Saturday Telegraph.  

Scraping through the 99 different types of visas, those that attract welfare-dependent migrants could face the firing line.

The government has already made steps to weed out poorly skilled migrants by axing the 457 visa in April 2017.

The decision almost halved the number of foreign workers and raised the average salary.

Foreign workers were paid an average of $110,000 in the past financial year – an increase of $15,000 – while almost half the amount of skills visas were approved. 

Almost 70,000 skills visas were approved at the height of the 457 visa program.

Less than 35,000 were approved in the past financial year.

Immigration Minister David Coleman is also expected to encourage migrants to move to regional areas as part of the governments plans to reduce population pressures in major cities.

Immigration Minister David Coleman (pictured) is also expected to encourage migrants to move to regional areas as part of the governments plans to reduce population pressures in major cities

‘We need to look closely at ways of attracting the very best and brightest and filling employment gaps in regional areas,’ Mr Coleman told The Saturday Telegraph.

‘We know that Australia’s immigration needs aren’t the same in all areas, and policy should take that into account.’

‘Where the system can be improved to better match immigration­ patterns to needs in specific jobs or locations­, we should do that.’

Only 7,000 foreigners who moved to Australia last year settled outside of capital cities, compared to 112,000 skilled migrants who moved to Sydney or Melbourne.