A new scheme to bring thousands more Australian visa holders to the country to ease labour shortages may soon be approved by the Cabinet. A Pacific guest worker scheme is the latest attempt by the Rudd Government to fill the shortage of workers on farms and vineyards in the rural regions of Australia.
The proposition could see 5,000 extra workers on Australian visas enter the country, in plans which could be endorsed as early as next week by the Federal Cabinet. If approved, the Government will announce its plans to Pacific leaders in August.
The temporary Australian visa granted to the workers will allow Pacific Islanders to work in the country for seven months, and will be on the condition they work in regional areas.
In turn, the Government will assure Australian immigrants will be given standard wages and conditions. In addition, training will be provided to give the guest workers transferable skills to use in their home country. Senator Chris Evans, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, has been recruiting to fill the skills shortage in Australia, but admits the labour shortage has now also become an issue.
Source: Aust. Visa Bureau, 11.06.2008
Showing posts with label skilled. Show all posts
Showing posts with label skilled. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Skilled Visa - Tell me about it
This visa is suitable for people who are well qualified with work experience in their field. It aims to meet Australia's skills shortages and gives successful applicants permanent residence. This visa is appropriate for those who hold a university qualification or trade qualifications.
REQUIREMENTS:
If you want to apply for this visa you must be qualified and under 45 years of age when you apply for this visa. Your nominated occupation, which fits your skills and qualifications, must be on the list of approved occupations for migration to Australia, which is adjusted by the Government from time to time. (‘Skilled Occupations List' from DIAC) At present you can find managers, administrators, engineers, teachers, trade persons and most occupations in the medical sector on the list.
Before you apply for a visa you have to obtain a positive skills assessment by the relevant Australian skills assessing authority.
You also have to show recent work experience for a period of time in your field, or in another field that is on the skilled occupation list. In addition you have to show threshold English and also meet the health, character and public interest requirements.
To be granted this visa you must pass what is called the “points test”. Points are allocated for qualifications, age, English language ability, work experience, your spouse's skills. Extra points are given to those applicants who have family in Australia, who have Australian qualifications or those with skills in demand.
For further information about the points test or other requirements please click here and ask us your questions. Or post your queries here on our blog
REQUIREMENTS:
If you want to apply for this visa you must be qualified and under 45 years of age when you apply for this visa. Your nominated occupation, which fits your skills and qualifications, must be on the list of approved occupations for migration to Australia, which is adjusted by the Government from time to time. (‘Skilled Occupations List' from DIAC) At present you can find managers, administrators, engineers, teachers, trade persons and most occupations in the medical sector on the list.
Before you apply for a visa you have to obtain a positive skills assessment by the relevant Australian skills assessing authority.
You also have to show recent work experience for a period of time in your field, or in another field that is on the skilled occupation list. In addition you have to show threshold English and also meet the health, character and public interest requirements.
To be granted this visa you must pass what is called the “points test”. Points are allocated for qualifications, age, English language ability, work experience, your spouse's skills. Extra points are given to those applicants who have family in Australia, who have Australian qualifications or those with skills in demand.
For further information about the points test or other requirements please click here and ask us your questions. Or post your queries here on our blog
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
300,000 skilled workers needed - Evans
AUSTRALIA'S economy cannot continue to grow without a lot more skilled migrant workers, Immigration Minister Chris Evans says.
Senator Evans warned today of an ageing population and a range of industries that could not find enough skilled workers to enable their businesses to grow.
"So there is a huge demand. We will meet it by upskilling our own people, but we have got to make sure we have got strong skilled migration as well if we are going to grow," the senator told Sky news.
"We will be investing an awful lot in the education revolution and skilling our own people.
"But the reality is we have an ageing population. Unless we have migration we are not going to be able to grow our workforce."
Under a revised immigration program announced this week, Australia will substantially lift its intake of migrants, particularly those with necessary skills.
That includes 190,300 in the permanent migration stream, 56,500 in the family stream and about 50,000 in the temporary skilled migration program - totalling more than 300,000.
This is the biggest yearly increase since the immigration program was launched in the 1940s.
Senator Evans said for the first time in the past year the workforce grew more from imported labour than from Australians taking new jobs.
"So we have got to have skilled migration to grow the economy. At the moment there is a real constraint on our capacity to grow because we just don't have enough workers," he said.
Senator Evans said there were significant skilled vacancies in the growth states, and there was a challenge to better connect those coming into Australia with areas where there were jobs.
"We don't want them all flocking into Sydney," he said.
"We actually want them going to Queensland, Western Australian and South Australia where there is huge demand for skills that they can't find elsewhere."
Opposition immigration spokesman Chris Ellison said the Government was continuing what the Coalition Government started.
He said the Coalition lifted the skilled migration content from 30 to 70 per cent of the total program.
"So we certainly don't disagree with the Government's announcement that it will be increasing the skilled migration program by 31,000," he said.
"But it is important that the Government resource the Department of Immigration to accommodate this."
Senator Ellison said the Opposition would be assessing the impact of the Government's public service efficiency cuts.
He said he had received complaints from business on the time it takes to employ a worker under the 457 visa temporary skilled immigrant program.
Senator Ellison said the Government had also forecast a rise in unemployment.
"The whole purpose of skilled migrations is to ensure you are bringing in skilled people to fill jobs where no local worker is available. It will require careful management," he said.
May 17, 2008 06:13pm
Senator Evans warned today of an ageing population and a range of industries that could not find enough skilled workers to enable their businesses to grow.
"So there is a huge demand. We will meet it by upskilling our own people, but we have got to make sure we have got strong skilled migration as well if we are going to grow," the senator told Sky news.
"We will be investing an awful lot in the education revolution and skilling our own people.
"But the reality is we have an ageing population. Unless we have migration we are not going to be able to grow our workforce."
Under a revised immigration program announced this week, Australia will substantially lift its intake of migrants, particularly those with necessary skills.
That includes 190,300 in the permanent migration stream, 56,500 in the family stream and about 50,000 in the temporary skilled migration program - totalling more than 300,000.
This is the biggest yearly increase since the immigration program was launched in the 1940s.
Senator Evans said for the first time in the past year the workforce grew more from imported labour than from Australians taking new jobs.
"So we have got to have skilled migration to grow the economy. At the moment there is a real constraint on our capacity to grow because we just don't have enough workers," he said.
Senator Evans said there were significant skilled vacancies in the growth states, and there was a challenge to better connect those coming into Australia with areas where there were jobs.
"We don't want them all flocking into Sydney," he said.
"We actually want them going to Queensland, Western Australian and South Australia where there is huge demand for skills that they can't find elsewhere."
Opposition immigration spokesman Chris Ellison said the Government was continuing what the Coalition Government started.
He said the Coalition lifted the skilled migration content from 30 to 70 per cent of the total program.
"So we certainly don't disagree with the Government's announcement that it will be increasing the skilled migration program by 31,000," he said.
"But it is important that the Government resource the Department of Immigration to accommodate this."
Senator Ellison said the Opposition would be assessing the impact of the Government's public service efficiency cuts.
He said he had received complaints from business on the time it takes to employ a worker under the 457 visa temporary skilled immigrant program.
Senator Ellison said the Government had also forecast a rise in unemployment.
"The whole purpose of skilled migrations is to ensure you are bringing in skilled people to fill jobs where no local worker is available. It will require careful management," he said.
May 17, 2008 06:13pm
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