Australia Immigration News (Australia Immigration News)

New Immigration Opportunities As Australian Economy Grows

Graham — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:58:57 +0000

Australia is the first G20 country to raise its interest rates since the global recession started in the beginning of 2008. The rates increased by 0.25 per cent and are now 3.25 per cent. The country’s unemployment decreased to 5.7 per cent in September and GDP increased by 0.6 per cent in the second quarter.

Australia managed to deal with the economic downturn sooner than expected thanks to the well established trade relationship with China. The country’s economy remained strong throughout this difficult period and is said to be the only one that did not go into recession in the last year.

Employers Warn Australian Immigration Department of Skills Shortages

Graham — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:12:48 +0000

The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has to deal with growing number of employers that call for fixing the skilled migration program because of looming shortages.

According to the Australian Financial Review, the government needs to review the program in order to fill the gap in skills shortage that mining and the energy industry will face in the near future.

Number of Australian Working Tourist Visa Applications Drops Off

Graham — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:59:38 +0000

Demand for skilled workers is increasing as number of people applying for Australian working tourist visa has significantly fallen.

The Australian Immigration Minister, Chris Evans, published the 2009 Territory Summary Report for people coming to the country who hold the 457 Long Stay Australia Visa.

Australia�s high-tech passport system better than border officer

Graham — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:50:34 +0000

According to Adelaide University Professor of anatomy, Maciej Henneberg, SmartGate system located in the passport control area in Sydney Airport’s international terminal is in most cases more accurate than a border protection officer.

The technology was designed to read face proportions which are unique for each individual like fingerprints.

Debate over Australian citizenship exams

Graham — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:22:26 +0000

The controversial citizenship exams are being debated by Australian government as they have been criticized by immigration rights groups.

It is said that the tests in present form discriminate against migrants from non-English-speaking countries as they examine a general knowledge.

The Australian government wants to change this and make the tests more relevant to give prospective newcomers broad idea of their rights and responsibilities and help them settle in the new reality.

Australian mining and energy sectors face lack of skilled workers

Graham — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:44:17 +0000

A huge demand for commodity exports from China and other countries made Australian mining and energy sectors to recover quicker than expected and now they have to face the problem of workforce shortages.

Australia needs vast number of skilled workers from engineers to welders, riggers and drillers. The situation on the local job market forces companies to recruit around the world. The biggest demand for skilled workers remains in remote areas where wage levels are higher than in more popular destinations. The mining industry skilled workers earn more than professionals employed in healthcare and financial services.

Update on Australia Migration Occupations in Demand List review

Graham — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:07:20 +0000

The second issues paper on the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) review has been released by the Australian Government. The paper reveals more information on changes in the Australian General Skilled Migration program.

The MODL and the Critical Skills List (CSL) will be replaced by the Future Skills List and from this point Australia visa applicants will be assessed based on high value skills they possess.

The Government considered three ways to introduce the Future Skills List: no Future Skills List in the GSM process; Future Skills List as component of GSM Points Test; Future Skills List replaces the CSL as a prioritisation mechanism.

Australian government puts an end to foreign worker exploitation

Graham — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:03:40 +0000

The Federal Government introduced a new policy which sets new foreign guest worker wage levels in a move to protect jobs for locals.

The Immigration Minister, Chris Evans, said that employers would not be allowed to pay migrants less than locals

''The Rudd Government has made it clear that temporary skilled overseas workers should not be employed ahead of local workers because they are a cheaper option,'' Mr Evans said.

The policy will apply to all new 457 visa holders from the 14th of September.

High immigration intake needed to fill critical skills gap

Graham — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:55:52 +0000

A new Australia immigration report, ‘Select Skills: Principles for a New Migration Occupations in Demand List’, says that the government needs to maintain high immigration intake in order to fill critical skills gap on the labour market.

The report suggests that the minimum annual migration intake is 150,000 people annually and the recommended maximum is 230,000 migrants per year. Maintaining high immigration levels is needed to compensate for an ageing workforce.

Australia Immigration Minister, Chris Evans, said that recent Australian migration rules alterations were the response to changing economy and market demands.

Australia sees increase in numbers of employer-sponsored skilled migrants

Graham — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:14:50 +0000

A new report on this year’s Migration Program showed the number of employer-sponsored skilled migrants increased by 60 per cent in comparison to last year figures revealing that the government’s approach to overseas immigration helps to fill employment gaps in the healthcare, engineering, financial services and IT sectors.

Foreign workers who took part in the migration program and obtained employer-sponsored Australia skilled visa comprised 33 per cent of the 2008/09 skill stream compared to 22 per cent in 2007/08 and 17 per cent in 2006/07.

Accountancy, computing professionals and registered nurses were the top three occupations for successful applicants while the United Kingdom was on the top of three countries of citizenship under the skill stream.