A government-dominated committee has called for seats on inbound flights and places in quarantine to be reserved for skilled migrants.
Their recommendation is unlikely to be well received by the tens of thousands of Australian citizens still stranded overseas.
Coalition committee members have also called for an urgent overhaul of occupations prioritised for skilled migration.
They want engineers, mechanics, cooks, carpenters and electricians given priority.
Hospitality, health, manufacturing and agriculture workers would also be targeted, along with tradespeople.
Labor committee members published a dissenting report critical of most recommendations.
However, there is some common ground on creating clearer pathways to permanent residency.
"Labor members of the committee support measures that allow greater pathways to permanency for visa holders, noting that the interim report provides no advice on how greater permanency will be achieved by the Morrison government," they wrote.
