Despite Australia’s high migration cap, fewer skilled migrants are arriving than planned due to several challenges. Stricter visa conditions and high living costs discourage some applicants, while licensing requirements across states create additional hurdles for qualified professionals. Processing delays and backlogs further limit the timely arrival of approved candidates. Additionally, the competitive nature of the points system means only top-ranked applicants are invited, reducing the overall intake. These combined factors have led to actual skilled migration numbers falling short of government targets in recent program years.