Migrants coming to Australia may have to spend a certain period of time on mandatory provisional visas before they are granted a permanent residency. The Immigration Department is exploring this possibility in a visa transformation discussion paper released on Monday.

“Should a prospective migrant spend a period of time in Australia before becoming eligible for permanent residence? What factors should be considered?” is one of the questions the discussion paper is examining.

It was reported in November last year that the Federal Government was to discuss this move and a “sensitive” and “protected” note was seen by the national security committee and was to be brought before the cabinet this year.

“The number of persons in Australia applying for permanent residence has grown substantially over the last two decades. In 2015-16, around half of all permanent visas were granted to people already in Australia on a temporary visa. This means that temporary residence is increasingly becoming the first step to living in Australia permanently,” the discussion paper released on Monday read.

It has been argued that it’s in the national interest to facilitate a pathway to permanent residence for the “best and the brightest” international students and skilled workers and that some permanent visas include mandatory provisional visa stages.