The 2009-10 Skilled Migration Program
A revised migration program for 2009-10 has been announced by the Australian government. Changes have been made to ensure that skilled migrants who have a confirmed job or skills in an area of critical shortage in Australia will be given priority for permanent immigration visas. Additionally, the Australian government will provide state and territory governments with greater scope to address the critical skill needs in their jurisdiction, as traditional arrangements have specified they can only sponsor a restricted range of skilled occupations.
The changes “will ensure our migration program is more responsive to the needs of the economy and assists industries still experiencing skills shortages”, stated Senator Chris Evans, Australia’s Minister for Immigration and Citizenship.
Back in March 2009, Senator Chris Evans, Australia’s Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, announced that skilled worker immigration would be reduced by 14%, from 133,500 to 115,000. Later, in May, a further cut was announced, bringing the number down to 108,100.
According to the government, this cut is limited to places for the independent skilled (non-sponsored) skilled migrants and, therefore, it does not affect employer or government-sponsored visas. Despite the reduction, employers can still access professionals in all industries experiencing skill shortages. Along with the cap reductions, changes will be made to the Critical Skills List.
While some trades in building and manufacturing will be removed, professions experiencing ongoing skills shortages, such as nurses, doctors, engineers and IT workers, will be immune. “The reduction is being achieved through a cutback in places for the general skilled category rather than in the high-demand employer-sponsored category or in areas in which Australia has critical skills shortages,” explained Evans.
A statement by the Immigration Minister adds that the government has begun “the task of constructing a long-term planning framework for migration as a key component of the current reform agenda”. Evans announced that the government will provide more opportunities for family reunions with an increase of 3800 places in the family component of the Migration Program, taking the number up to 60,300. This includes an additional 2500 places for partners, 1000 places for contributory parents and 300 for child visas.
“Overall, the Migration Program will total 168,700 for 2009-10, which comprises the 60,300 family places, 108,100 skilled places and a further 300 places for special eligibility.”
Additionally, the government announced a tightening of the non-sponsored independent skilled pathway for trades occupations, through the increase of the English language threshold from 5 IELTS to 6 IELTS. A job readiness test will also be introduced, from 10 January 2010, to complement the testing arrangements already in place for offshore applicants in some trades.
Why the change?
According to a ministerial statement by Senator Chris Evans, the changes “are a response to the continued economic slowdown”. When announcing the first cuts in March, the government justified the reduction with the need for a shift in the focus of the program towards ‘demand driven’ outcomes, in the form of “employer and government-sponsored skilled migrants, to ensure the program was better targeted on the skills needed in the economy”.
The government hopes that by encouraging employer-sponsored visas there will be an increase in the number of permanent visas granted to temporary visa holders.
In 2007-08, for the first time, more migrants to Australia were granted temporary skilled visas than permanent skilled visas – the number reached a massive 110,600. It is believed that the temporary skilled migration program, specifically the Subclass 457 visa, has reached its level of popularity due to typically faster responsiveness and processing.
The government believes that the, with 2009-10 skilled migration program, it is “likely that the two sponsored streams will represent close to 50 per cent of visa grants, with a corresponding decline in the proportion of the non-sponsored visa grants”.
Will this affect my 457 visa?
For current holders of Subclass 457 visas, these changes could mean good news. The Australian government is encouraging employers to sponsor these visa holders for permanent immigration in occupations where needed skills cannot be met through local labour.
Moving to a ‘demand driven’ immigration program
Priority processing of sponsored permanent migrant applicants and those whose occupations are deemed to be in critical need means that since 1 January 2009, the following order of preference applies in processing skilled visa applications in Australia:
- Employer-sponsored visas
- State or territory government-sponsored visas
- Occupations on the Critical Skills List
- Occupations on the Migration Occupations in Demand List
- All other valid applications
Australia has a long history of supporting and encouraging immigration. In an increasingly competitive global market, the Australian government’s implementation of these changes and continued review of immigration regulations will allow it to continue its acceptance of migrants who can make a contribution to the country’s economy.
SOURCE: Ministerial Statement by Senator Chris Evans, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
