Australia will welcome skilled migrants and students back into the nation on December 15, after the revelation of the Omicron variation forced the government to place a two-week halt on the reopening plan, which was set to take effect on December 1.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Saturday that an additional 120,000 migrants were likely to enter the nation than had been predicted in May of last year.

“All the experience shows that (migration) actually helps with Australian jobs, because the more skills you have got the more businesses can operate, the more that they can employ, and if they can’t get access to those specialist skills often it means they can’t put extra jobs on,” he said.

On Monday, Health Minister Greg Hunt confirmed that the opening will take place on Wednesday.

“We said on the 29th of November that we were intending to reopen on 15 December. That has been through the National Cabinet process,” he told reporters in Melbourne.

“That has been reaffirmed over the weekend in consultation with the Prime Minister, the National Cabinet discussion and the advice from the Chief Medical Officer.”

With Australia preparing to reopen its borders to the rest of the world, now is the ideal time to avoid the backlog and get ahead of the expected queue that will form once this change is enacted. Contact a New World Immigration consultant to see if you have what it takes to secure your future in Australia.