Busting the myths about SkillSelect
SkillSelect will be a major change to how Australia manages its skilled migration program. There is much talk about the changes, and as with anything new, not everything you hear is always correct. This blog busts some of the myths we’ve heard about SkillSelect.
Myth 1 - SkillSelect only affects points tested visas—formally known as General Skilled Migration (GSM) visas.
A common myth is that SkillSelect will only affect the independent skilled migration program- this is not true.
If you are interested in applying for a skilled visa after 1 July 2012, you may have to use SkillSelect depending on your visa preference/s. Therefore, it is important you understand how SkillSelect will affect you and your visa options.
It will be compulsory to submit a complete expression of interest (EOI) and receive an invitation before you can lodge a visa application for the following visa programs:
• Subclass 189 Skilled – Independent (Permanent) (Class SI)
• Subclass 190 Skilled – Sponsored (Permanent) (Class SK)
• Subclass 489 – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) (Class SP)
• Business Skills visa program.
It is optional (although highly recommended) to submit an EOI to be found and contacted by an employer for the following visas programs:
• Subclass 186 – Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) (Class EN)
• Subclass 187 – Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) (Class RN)
• Subclass 457 – Temporary Business (Long Stay) (Class UC)
More information on visa options can be found on the SkillSelect website.
Myth 2 – I can’t submit an EOI for more than one visa.
You will be able to submit an EOI for one, a few or all skilled visas in the one EOI. You do not need to submit multiple EOIs.
SkillSelect is a free online service, and by expressing interest in more than one skilled visa, you could increase your chances of being found by a state or territory government or employer who needs your skills.
Myth 3 – It will still be expensive and time consuming for employers to find skilled workers.
SkillSelect will make finding overseas skilled workers easy for employers and help ease skill shortages through managed migration.
A key function of SkillSelect is to assist in easing skills shortages through providing Australian employers with access to a pool of intending skilled migrants who are seeking employer sponsorship on either a temporary or permanent basis.
SkillSelect is ideal for employers wanting to quickly identify options for resolving specific skill shortages. It will really help employers operating small to medium businesses who have found it difficult, expensive and time consuming to find workers in the past. SkillSelect is targeted, convenient, a free service, and is without any obligation to sponsor. Employers will be able to easily search across a number of key selection criteria such as experience, qualifications, language skills and willingness to work and live outside major metropolitan centres.
Once suitable skilled workers are identified, employers are able to send a message in SkillSelect to the skilled worker notifying them of their interest in discussing employment and sponsorship opportunities. When sponsorship arrangements have been established, the skilled worker’s EOI details are seamlessly transferred from SkillSelect to final assessment and processing systems, saving time for everyone.
Myth 4 – I can intentionally embellish my claims on my EOI to increase my points score and likelihood of getting an invitation.
There are some serious potential risks in providing false and misleading information in your EOI.
If you are invited to apply for a visa, the information in your EOI will be used as part of your visa application. You will then need to confirm your claims and submit evidence with your application.
If you provide false or misleading information on your EOI and receive an invitation based on this information, your application may be refused. If your visa application is refused you will lose your visa application charge and may also be subject to a bar which prevents the grant of a further visa.
Myth 5 -The introduction of SkillSelect will mean less skilled visas will be granted.
This is not true.
Each year the government announces the number of places in the migration program as part of the Budget. This announcement on the program size is what determines the number of skilled visas available each year.
In the 2012–13 Budget an additional 3400 places will be allocated to the skilled migration program—this is a total of 129 250 places.
SkillSelect will not increase or reduce the overall number of visas granted. It will only determine who is able to lodge a visa application for the independent, family sponsored, state/territory nominated and business skills visas. The target number of skilled visas granted will be the same as the number set by government in the Budget.
Have you heard any other myths about SkillSelect? Leave us a comment and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the new process.
For more information visit the SkillSelect website.
Information on changes to points based skilled migration: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/new-skilled.htm
Information on the permanent employer sponsored visa reforms : http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/skilled-workers/permanent-employer-sponsored-visa-whats-new.htm
Migration Program planning levels and priority processing arrangements
Every year the Australian Government sets the number of places, otherwise known as planning levels, in the permanent migration program. The number of places allocated takes into account the current economic climate and feedback from consultations with the Australian community.
Within the skill stream of the permanent migration program, there are a number of different visa categories targeted to meet the diverse needs of Australia’s labour market. The government also allocates annually a set number of visa places to each of the following categories:
- skilled independent
- skilled Australian sponsored
- employer sponsored, and
- state and territory sponsored
The planning levels can be varied by the government in response to economic and other factors. Delivering the migration program requires careful management. This is where it’s important to understand the relationship between the planning levels and priority processing arrangements for skilled migration visa applications.
Priority processing is a tool, available to government, to assist managing the order in which applications are granted. We have blogged previously about the government’s priority processing direction, where visa applications are placed in one of five priority processing groups.
Applications in priority group 1 are allocated before applications in priority group 2, and so on, until the set planning level for each specific skilled visa category is met.
In the situation where set annual planning levels are met in a particular skilled migration category within a 12 month period, the department is obliged to temporarily suspend allocating applications in this category until the next program year, irrespective of where applicants are placed in the priority processing direction.
For example, in this (2011-2012) program year there has been a lower number of applications lodged under a state migration plan (priority group 3) than anticipated when government originally set the planning levels. To meet the set levels for this part of the program we have allocated some of the priority group 5 applications in greater numbers.
These are the priority group 5 applications that were lodged by onshore and offshore applicants who were nominated by a state or territory government before state migration plans were introduced. These applications are placed in priority group 5 as they do not have a nominated occupation on the skilled occupation list.
It may also be necessary to limit the allocation of visa applications in the skilled Australian sponsored categories this program year, because there are only a few places remaining in this visa category. We will continue to update the allocation dates for skilled visa applications on the department’s website and encourage applicants to regularly check the page, which is updated fortnightly. We have also updated information on our website about the processing of priority group 5 applications.
If you have any questions or comments please post below.
Did you hold a Student visa on 8 February 2010?
New web page for Student visa holders who were affected by the skilled migration reforms announced on 8 February 2010.
There is a new web page for current and former Student visa holders who held a Student visa on
8 February 2010, when the Australian Government announced the skilled migration reforms.
The new web page can be found here.
Increasingly in the years leading up to the reforms, the composition of the skilled migration program was being determined by those who wished to apply, rather than by labour market demand. A series of reforms were necessary to reposition the program as demand driven and able to respond better to Australia’s skilled labour needs.
One of the key changes was the withdrawal of the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) and the introduction of a new Skilled Occupation List (SOL). The SOL is a list of occupations that are eligible for independent, or unsponsored, skilled migration. The new SOL consists of 192 occupations, down from more than 400 on the old list, and delivers a skilled migration program that is tightly focused on high value skills that will assist in addressing Australia’s medium to long term skill needs.
When these reforms were announced, the Australian Government also announced generous transitional arrangements for those who held Student visas when the changes were announced. The new web page includes information about these transitional arrangements, as well as other information about extending a Student visa, and also information about the skilled migration program. We plan to expand the page with further information in the coming months.
It is important for students to be aware that the Student visa program and the skilled migration program serve different purposes. A Student visa allows a person to come to Australia and study for a specified period. On the other hand, the skilled migration program has an economic focus. It is designed to meet the needs of the Australian labour market and strengthen the whole economy. Because of this, the requirements for skilled migration may change depending on the economic circumstances of the time, and that is why students should study a course based on their academic interests, rather than to achieve a particular migration outcome.
Student visas are temporary visas, so students should be mindful of their visa expiry date so they can consider their options early. It takes time to apply for another visa, and if a person is unable to obtain another visa they must depart Australia before their Student visa expires. There can be serious consequences for overstaying a Student visa and becoming unlawful, including being unable to return to Australia for up to three years.
Some students might be thinking about lodging an Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect when their student visa expires. An EOI is not the same as a visa application. It is an indication that a person would like to apply for a skilled migration visa, rather than an application itself. A Bridging visa will not be granted after submitting an EOI. If a person is not invited to apply for a skilled migration visa before their existing visa expires, they will need to obtain another visa or depart Australia.
SkillSelect webpage goes live!
The SkillSelect website goes live!
We are happy to announce that on 28 January the SkillSelect website was launched at www.skillselect.gov.au
This site provides information on SkillSelect, details on the Expression of Interest (EOI) and invitation process, and what information you will have to provide when you submit an EOI.
You will notice that the SkillSelect web page looks different to other pages on our website. Please let us know what you think about the new website design or the content we have published. Your feedback will assist us in improving the delivery of information to our clients.
Although the website has been launched, you will not be able to submit an EOI until 1 July 2012.
We plan to publish more information on the SkillSelect website in early April, including information on the new visa subclasses. Our blog will also continue to keep you up to date with SkillSelect and its implementation.
We encourage you to read our previous blogs on SkillSelect here as they may answer many of the questions you have about SkillSelect.
SkillSelect – Rankings and Invitations explained
In our previous blogs, we discussed SkillSelect and changes to our Skilled Migration Programs. You can view our previous blogs here.
We will now look at what happens after you submit an EOI using SkillSelect.
The below diagram displays the SkillSelect process:
How will you be ranked on your EOI?
Your ranking will be calculated based on the information you provide in your EOI. EOIs are ranked using points achieved on the skilled migration points test. A prescribed pass mark will be set as the minimum points score required for each visa category.
Ranking will be conducted electronically by SkillSelect with no intervention by the department. Equally scoring EOIs will be separated by time of submission with earlier submission dates ranking more highly.
After submitting your EOI, you can view your point score; however you will not see your ranking because it will be continually changing. After each invitation round we will publish on our website the lowest score of a successful EOI for each occupation group. This will provide an indication of the score required to receive an invitation.
You can update your EOI at any time until you receive an invitation or your EOI expires. If you provide new information that changes your points score, SkillSelect will update your ranking automatically including your date of submission.
You should understand that if you provide false or misleading information on your EOI this will subject you to the Fraud Public Interest Criterion – PIC 4020. If it is established that you have provided false or misleading information including to third parties such as approved English language testing providers, assessing authorities, State/Territory governments etc, and your visa application may be refused. You may also be subject to a three year bar which may prevent the grant of a further visa that is subject to assessment under the Fraud PIC.
How do you receive an invitation?
Selected EOIs will be invited periodically to lodge an application. Depending on your visa preference/s, you could receive an invitation from the department for independent migration, family sponsored or from a State or Territory government for State/Territory sponsored or Business Skills migration. SkillSelect won’t issue invitations for any other migration programs.
Independent Migration and Family Sponsored Migration
It is proposed that SkillSelect will automatically issue invitations once per month, with the first round of invitations sent on 1 August 2012. Invitations will be issued to the highest ranking EOIs in descending order, subject to occupation ceilings. The date and time of submission may be used to separate those who score equally to ensure that the number of invitations issued at any one time matches both the number of visa places and the processing resources available. Those who don’t meet the pass mark or don’t score highly enough in a particular invitation round will not be issued an invitation. Departmental officers are not involved in the selection process.
Occupation ceilings are a limit on how many people are selected for points tested migration from an occupation group. This will ensure that these visa categories are not dominated by a narrow range of occupations. Once the limit is reached for a particular occupation group, no further invitations for that group will be issued in that program year with remaining program places allocated to other occupation groups even if they are lower scoring. In the event that the ceiling is reached remaining EOIs from people with skills in that occupation group won’t be affected.
Occupation Ceilings and Invitations
2. State or territory government and employer sponsored visas
State and Territory government representatives will search SkillSelect for prospective people to sponsor. State or Territory governments will be able to nominate prospective applicants at any time using SkillSelect (in accordance with their agreed State Migration Plans and subject to occupation ceilings not being reached). Those nominated will receive an invitation through SkillSelect to apply for a visa.
What happens next?
Invited applicants will have 60 days to lodge a visa application using the department’s electronic lodgement system. The visa application process will occur outside of SkillSelect.
If you receive two invitations in SkillSelect but do not lodge a valid visa application as a result of these invitations, your EOI will be removed from the SkillSelect database and will have to be formally resubmitted to be considered for future invitation rounds.
If you do not receive an invitation, it is proposed that your EOI will remain active in SkillSelect for 2 years. You will have the option to renew your EOI if it expires.
In future blogs we will provide further updates on SkillSelect as our long-awaited implementation date of 1 July 2012 approaches!
For more information on SkillSelect please go to www.skillselect.gov.au
The Skilled Migration Outreach Network
This post was written by Suzanne, who works in the department’s Skilled Migration Outreach program.
The Outreach program is a partnership between the department and various industry groups and unions. Departmental officers help their host organisation and members by providing information about skilled migration programs. In addition, there are regional outreach officers who help ensure information on regional migration is available for employers and government.
What host organisation are you with?
As an industry outreach officer, I am outposted to two organisations: the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) and Restaurant and Catering Australia (R&CA). Both of these organisations are national associations that represent their members’ interests.
As their skilled migration advisor, I work closely with both organisations to provide information about how employers in their industry can use immigration options to address skill shortages.
What do you do on a day-to-day basis as an outreach officer?
Outreach officers spend many of their days meeting with senior representatives from industry organisations, providing information about skilled migration to employers and presenting information on skilled visa options to lecture halls full of students. We also write articles for a variety of trade media outlets and work closely with departmental colleagues to help improve processes and/or resolve problems.
For instance, one day last month I started the morning at a 7am breakfast meeting in the boardroom of a large corporate organisation in Sydney’s CBD. After a healthy dose of coffee, I delivered a presentation that gave the big picture of Australia’s skilled migration program. In the afternoon, I met with the operations manager of a large corporate farming outfit to provide information on visas that the company could consider to alleviate current labour shortages. I recently spent a number of days assisting farmers at Agquip—Australia’s largest agricultural show held annually in Gunnedah, NSW.
What are the most common enquiries you deal with? Are they easy to resolve?
Outreach officers need to know a lot about the skilled migration program because we advise a large range of employers with different business backgrounds and needs. Some of the most common enquiries that we deal with relate to what visa is the best option for a particular situation, how to sponsor skilled workers under the 457 and permanent employer sponsored visa programs and what obligations employers need to abide by when they employ people from overseas.
As the outreach officer to Restaurant and Catering Australia, I receive a lot of enquiries from employers who want to sponsor chefs because skills honed overseas are often closely linked to the ‘authenticity’ of a particular cuisine. Employers often seek to sponsor a chef with international experience to ‘upskill’ their Australian employees through skill-sharing.
As with most aspects of immigration, some enquiries are easier to resolve than others. For instance, a colleague of mine searched to find a visa solution for a number of academics who specialise in lobster development and needed to come to Australia to help an Australian employer on an important research project. There wasn’t a visa with an exact or obvious fit and so my colleague had to do some consulting and creative thinking to find an appropriate solution—which she did.
What are the best information sources for employer sponsored migration programs?
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship’s website is a fantastic source of information for our visa programs. We always say to people that they first point of reference should be our visa comparison charts. The charts help people find the best options for them. They can then research each visa in detail at the website.
We always recommend that anyone considering using a visa program read as much as they can so they are aware of how the system works. As with buying a house or car, proper research will always make for a smoother ride.
Sometimes employers must get answers they don’t particularly like. Is this difficult to deal with?
The majority of employers are time-poor and would prefer a straight answer even when this answer does not provide the outcome they would like to hear. Most employers understand and support whatever response we give them as long as we show them that we understand their situation and take the time to explain the reason for the information we give. We always identify alternatives where we can.
What do you see as one of the best things about the outreach program?
Outreach officers can often identify early on when an employer is not going to be successful in an application. By providing information, we can prevent employers from spending time and money pursuing an avenue that isn’t going to work for them. This really does help build public recognition and trust in the government’s skilled migration program.
Additionally, because we work so closely with our industries, outreach officers develop specialised knowledge and understanding of the business environment of employers in our industries. We can pick up on the unique challenges that specific sectors face with labour supply and help identify appropriate solutions. Our holistic focus means that we help our industry organisations understand that visas are only part of providing long-term solutions for labour needs.
By feeding our industry insight and expertise back to our policy and processing colleagues we help the department maintain flexibility and responsiveness to the wide-ranging and developing needs of employers in Australia.
More information on the department’s outreach program can be found here.
Skilled visa options for Australia
Australia’s skilled migration program aims to meet the needs of the Australian labour market and strengthen our economy. Skilled workers in occupations in demand can help fill job vacancies which cannot be filled by an Australian resident worker. This video provides a brief overview of Australia’s skilled migration program.
For more information, visit the department’s website.
SkillSelect – the who, what, when, why and how?
On 11 May 2011, the Australian Government announced the implementation of the Skilled Migration Selection Register – SkillSelect.
In today’s blog we will address the who, what, when, why and how of SkillSelect for the independent skilled and family sponsored skilled migration programs.
What is SkillSelect?
SkillSelect is a new skilled migrant selection register that will ensure Australia can select the best and brightest skilled migrants from a pool of prospective migrants. It is based on an electronic two-stage process whereby prospective migrants first submit an Expression Of Interest (EOI) and may then be invited by the department to make a skilled migration visa application.
Why SkillSelect?
SkillSelect will build upon and draw together the suite of reforms made to the skilled migration program over the past several years. It will deliver the skills Australia needs by matching the best and brightest prospective migrants to the available places in the migration program.
How will SkillSelect operate?
Prospective applicants first submit claims for skilled migration through an online EOI and then may be invited to make a visa application. It is important to note that an EOI is not a visa application; it is an expression of interest in being considered for migration. All prospective applicants will be required to have met the relevant English language standard and obtained the necessary skills assessment before submitting an EOI.
People will be invited to lodge an application on the basis of their EOI. Applicants will be ranked according to their points test score and the time they submitted their EOI. The highest ranking applicants will be invited to apply each month. An occupation ceiling will exist that will cap the number of invitations to apply for migration in the points tested visa categories by occupation so that we can ensure that the program covers as many occupations as possible on the Skilled Occupations List.
SkillSelect will ensure a match between the number of applicants, the number of available program places and the available processing resources. This will streamline processing times.
Who will SkillSelect affect?
All prospective applicants for Independent Skilled, State/Territory/Family Sponsored or Business Skills visas will need to submit an EOI and receive an invitation before they can apply.
People who have lodged a visa application before SkillSelect takes effect and whose applications are pending processing, will have their application processed in accordance with any priority processing direction in effect at that time.
When will SkillSelect be implemented?
SkillSelect will commence on 1 July 2012. As of this date, new applicants for Independent, Family or State/Territory Sponsored or Business Skills migration will need to submit an EOI and be issued with an invitation before lodging their visa application.
Transitional arrangements currently apply to certain people who, on 8 February 2010, held or had applied for a Skilled Graduate (subclass 485) visa. This group will still be able to apply for a permanent skilled visa under the current system until the end of 2012.
In our future blogs we will address some common questions about SkillSelect and the impact it will have on the State and Territory Sponsored, Business Skills and Employer Sponsored migration programs.
For more information on SkillSelect see:
www.skillselect.gov.au
The 457 visa program – 2010/11 Year in Review
There were 48 075 primary subclass 457 visas granted in Australia in 2010-11
This post was written by Laura, a graduate who recently completed a stint in the Temporary Skilled Migration Section in the Labour Market Branch.
At the Labour Market Branch, we closely monitor the trends that occur in the programs we deliver. The end of the program year is a good time to share our thoughts on the trends of 2010-11. Below, we review the year in the 457 program.
Overall, 2010-11 saw an increase in demand for the program – up from last year when the global financial crisis led to a softening in the demand in the labour market and a corresponding decline in 457 visa grants. The program is on track for an even larger increase in the coming year as the need for skilled labour in Australia increases in line with the growing economy and increased demand, particularly in the resource sector.
The 457 visa
The 457 visa was introduced in 1996. It allows skilled people to temporarily work in Australia if an approved employer sponsors them. They can work from one day to four years.
Since its beginnings, the program has undergone considerable change, yet it has continued to be responsive to the labour market, as seen in our previous post about how the 457 program creates employment in the Australian labour market. Through boom times, program usage has increased significantly, demonstrating the important role it has come to play in supporting the growing Australian economy.
Demand for the program declined in 2009-10, following the global economic downturn. This is not surprising, given that trends of the 457 program usually reflect other trends that happen in the Australian labour market.
If unemployment in Australia is high, employer demand for 457 visas declines. When there are more Australians available to fill skilled vacancies, it makes sense that employers don’t have as great a need for overseas workers. The decline demonstrates the way the program automatically responds to the trends in the labour market.
The 2010-2011 program year
We have seen a different trend in the last 457 program year. The recovering economy and resources boom are just some of the reasons why employers have relied more heavily on 457 workers in 2010-11.
In the past year, the number of people applying for a primary 457 visa rose 39.7 per cent and the number of primary visas granted increased 38.2 per cent. From a policy perspective, this shows the program has responded quickly to demand from employers.
Location and positions
The acute skills shortages in the mining sector have partly driven many of the trends for jobs and locations this year.
The majority of applications lodged were for jobs in New South Wales and Victoria, which has been the case for a number of years. However, there was a 64 per cent increase in the number of applications lodged for positions in Western Australia, where much of the work from the mining boom exists.
The expansion of mining projects also explains much of the the increase in demand for workers in trade and technician occupations, which rose 65.4 per cent in 2010-11. In particular, there was a 74.7 per cent increase in the number of visas granted for workers in the construction industry.
Individual occupation breakdowns tell a similar story. The number of electrical engineering technicians rose 248.9 per cent from the previous year and the number of drillers rose 152.0 per cent. The steep increase in 457 visas granted to skilled workers in mining occupations in the past year shows just how quickly the program can respond to the needs of industry.
As well as responding to temporary labour needs, each year the program responds to industries that have significant skills shortages. For example, the demand for 457 health professionals is always strong, and the highest number of 457 visas granted in the last year was for people working in health care and social assistance.
Salary
The average amount a 457 worker is paid often mirrors their skills and expertise and the demand for their occupation in Australia. It’s not surprising that skilled workers employed in mining had the highest salaries of any industry in 2010-11, given that they are often highly trained people and there is a shortage of the skills they have in Australia.
457 salaries increased again overall in 2010-11, continuing their steep upward trend from 2009 when program reforms changed the requirements for paying 457 workers. Rather than setting bottom limits on the salaries of 457 workers, the program has moved to a fairer system of market salary rates. This means that workers are given conditions “no less favourable” than Australian workers performing the same work. This prevents employers from using the program to undercut local wages.
The continued rise in average 457 worker salaries says to us that these reforms are working the way they should be.
Sponsors
There were 11 290 Australian and overseas employers who were approved to sponsor 457 workers in 2010-11. There were 18 530 active sponsors at 30 June 2011, with the vast majority of these identifying as small to medium businesses.
Countries
People from the United Kingdom were granted the highest number of 457 visas in the last year. Citizens from India came in second and the United States made up the third largest group. 2010-11 saw a significant increase in the number of Irish people applying for 457 visas, with a 60.9% rise from the previous year.
The top fifteen countries using the 457 program have been fairly consistent over the past two years and make up 84.4 per cent of 457 visas granted this year.
Processing
457 processing times were at historically low levels in the past year. The median processing time was 23 calendar days (30 per cent lower than 2006-07) which is well below our published service standards of between 2-3 months.
Even the 10 per cent of applications that took the longest to process came in at an average of 70 days. While this is still not ideal, it’s down from 83 days in the previous year.
Processing times are something we will continue to strive to improve in 2011-12.
The Year Ahead
Overall, the main trend for the 2010-11 year was growth. If current employment conditions continue and businesses struggle to find sufficient skilled Australian workers, the 457 program will bridge the gap and offer employers access to skilled workers in the coming year.
The current shape of the program makes it a quick and effective tool for businesses to access skilled workers, while at the same time ensuring that the training and employment of Australians is the first priority for business.
For more details on the 2010-11 program year, see this report containing State-based 457 data on the main DIAC website.
Review of the permanent Employer Sponsored visa categories
Today, the department released a discussion paper which provides the starting point for public consultation on the review of the permanent Employer Sponsored visa categories.
The permanent employer sponsored visas, which include the Employer Nomination Scheme, Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme and Labour Agreements, have become increasingly popular with visa applicants and Australian employers.
This trend is reflected in the changing composition of the skilled migration program. Specifically, how the proportion of employer sponsored places now exceeds the proportion of general skilled migration (GSM) places. In 2010-11 38 per cent of the skilled migration program was employer sponsored and 31 per cent GSM. Contrast this with 2007-08 where only 19 per cent of the skilled migration program was employer sponsored and more than half was GSM.
The growth of the permanent employer sponsored categories can be attributed to the shift toward an actively managed demand driven migration program, the popularity of the subclass 457 temporary visa program and the department’s promotion of these programs through the outreach network and Skills Expos. It is also expected that this trend will continue in to the future.
A demand driven skilled migration program recognises that employers are best positioned to identify the skills that they need to maintain, grow and expand their businesses, and should support them in their efforts. That is, it should offer them the ability to source foreign skilled workers to address their skills needs where they have been unable locate suitable workers from the Australian labour market.
In this context it is vitally important that these visa programs remain responsive to the needs of employers. This will ensure that the best outcomes are delivered for the Australian economy. That’s why this review is so timely, especially given that the last comprehensive review was back in 2004!
In Budget 2011-12 the government announced that the permanent employer sponsored programs would be reformed to fast-track the transition to permanent residence for subclass 457 visa holders who have worked inAustralia for several years.
Providing a fast-tracked pathway for these temporary skilled visa holders makes good sense. In 2010-11 83 per cent of ENS and 59 per cent of RSMS visa approvals were to people who held a subclass 457 when they lodged their application for permanent residence.
The fact that their nominating employer wants to continue to employ them, and will sponsor them for permanent residence, shows that there is a good fit between the visa applicant and the business. It also demonstrates that there continues to be a need for their skills and that they possess the appropriate skills to perform the work.
The discussion paper canvasses this topic, as well as a number of other key issues which will be considered as part of the review. Interested members of the public are encouraged to put forward any views and ideas that will help to improve the permanent employer sponsored programs by Friday 16 September 2011.
The discussion paper can be accessed from the departments website here: http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/discussion-papers/skilled-visas
