Many Australians have met migrants working in occupations far below their skills level: the dentist working as a cleaner; the former university lecturer driving a taxi.

But the tide appears to be turning for at least some of Australia's skilled migrants, with new research showing that those arriving with tertiary qualifications in the past five years are twice as likely to work in their field as those who arrived more than 15 years ago.

Sisters Andrea (left) and Audrey Kraal found relevant work. Credit:James Alcock

Nearly 40 per cent of migrants who came after 2010 and already had tertiary qualifications are working in their field, compared with 20 per cent of those who arrived before 2001, according to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Policy changes focused on boosting the scale of skilled migration and enhancing English-language screening have greatly improved job outcomes for migrants, said Lesleyanne Hawthorne, an internationally-recognised migration expert from the University of Melbourne. Skilled migrants now make up more than two-thirds of migrants to Australia, up from less than half about 20 years ago.