Australian Migration to Only Become Harder in 2009

Australia may be forced to decrease its intake of migrants in 2009 and possibly further into the future. Pressure is rising from the opposition to cut the number of new arrivals before the current financial years end. This pressure is a result of the global financial meltdown, which in turn is forecast to push unemployment rate up in Australia.

This may mean that 2008 may be the best time to commence your Australian migration, so to improve your chances of successfully obtaining a visa.

The opposition for Immigration spokeswomen, Sharman Stone, said “It is important they remain flexible because the most important thing to do is look after Australia's own unemployed”.

Such calls from the opposition seem to be coming from the result of the bigger banks cutting interest rates so to push up spending. The Commonwealth Bank (Australia’s biggest home loan lender) became the third bank to cut rates recently, shaving 0.21% off its standard variable rate fro home loans, thus resulting in repayments on a standard $300,000 loan to be cut by about $42 a month.

The worldwide slowdown is cutting growth in Australia and some economists are now predicting unemployment will surge by 200,000 and hit 6 per cent by the end of 2009.

Australia was battling a general labor shortage earlier this year but now key industries have started to shed jobs, with even the mining industry slowing down.

It is thought that the migrant intake should be re-examined and looked at via skill categories first then on settlement locations before cutting numbers willy-nilly.