MELBOURNE: Fewer overseas students, including from India, will be able to get skilled migrant visas on the basis of their Australia qualifications under tough new migration rules in the country, an education expert has said.
Monash university researcher Bob Birrell said there could be just 4000 visas a year as compared to 19,352 visas for this group in 2006-07 and 17,552 in 2007-08, the time during which education was sold as a pathway to migration, 'The Australian' reported.
Birrell said the unpublished Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) estimate of 4000 visas was "an unmistakable signal that the industry needs to set its marketing around selling an education that is valuable back in the country of origin."
"The changes will favour overseas applicants from English-speaking countries who can meet the much tougher English language requirements of the new points test," Birrell and colleagues said in a report from the Monash Centre for Population and Urban Research.
The report gives new insight into the "stockpiling" of thousands of overseas students by DIAC.
These include many students with cookery and hairdressing qualifications who would win visas under the old rules but whose cases have been put off and who are now on bridging visas.
In December last year, there were 29,211 former vocational education students on bridging visas, as well as another 26,309 former higher education students.
About 16,000 of these former students had applied for skilled migration visas.
In 2009-10, there were 28,126 applications for the graduate skilled bridging visa that is held by many former overseas students caught mid-stream by policy reforms.
The Birrell report predicts some of Bowen's hypothetical Harvard scientists will have to wait as his department works through this backlog of students with lower skill levels.
"Unpublished statistics show tens of thousands of former overseas students will benefit from the transitional arrangements in place," the report said.
Applications for permanent residence from these students will crowd out better qualified applicants for several years.
But a DIAC spokesman said applicants "who demonstrate the skills most needed by the Australian economy" always would be processed first.
A series of reforms, including a new skilled migration points test from July 1, have weakened the policy link between education and migration.
Announcing changes last year, then Immigration Minister Chris Evans famously said under the old rules cooks and hairdressers would qualify but not a Harvard environmental scientist.
The new regime will favour offshore rather than onshore applications and advanced rather than basic skills.
Source:http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-07-20/news/29794854_1_points-test-overseas-students-bob-birrell
Friday, July 22, 2011
Skilled foreign workers to fill labour gap
The Federal Government is set to announce measures to address a chronic shortage of workers in Western Australia.
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen will tell delegates at a mining conference in the city today that Perth will be made eligible for the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme.There are predictions WA will have a shortage of 150,000 skilled workers in the resources and infrastructure sectors by 2017.
Mr Bowen says that will make it easier for employers to recruit workers from overseas.
"What it means is that it will be easier for employers to get semi-skilled workers, particularly people who are already in Australia under 457 visas and to help them transition to permanent residency," he said.
"There are concessions under the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme and we do prioritise applications under that scheme."
Unions WA says labour shortages in the resources sector should be addressed through better training and not through skilled migration.
Simone McGurk from the union group says encouraging skilled migration will not be enough to meet the projected shortfall and the push to import labour will drive up unemployment.
"We also need to make sure that there's a strong onus on State and Federal Governments, and on employers, to make sure that local workers can fill those skill gaps," she said.
Ms McGurk says the government should offer more opportunities to local workers.
"While we've got significant unemployment and significant pockets of unemployment in demographics, youth unemployment for instance, we think there's a real onus on the State Government to look at what it can do to train people and give people the opportunities to meet the skill gaps that are experienced throughout the state," she said.
Source:http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-19/bowen-skilled-workers-wa/2799886
Australia plans major crackdown on employing illegal workers
SYDNEY (Xinhua) -- The Australian government will overhaul penalties for hiring illegal workers in the country after an independent review found strong evidence of a growing number of illegal workers in Australia, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Chris Bowen announced on Thursday.
Bowen on Thursday released the review of the Migration Amendment (Employer Sanctions) Act 2007 by independent legal expert Stephen Howells that looked at penalty and enforcement arrangements for businesses employing non-citizens working in Australia without permission.
"The Gillard Government will take action to address deficiencies in the existing laws to ensure we have an effective sanctions system in place to deter illegal work hire practices and take action against recalcitrant employers," Bowen said in a statement on Thursday.
The Howells Review found strong evidence of a growing number of illegal workers in Australia, with a minimum of about 50,000 and potentially more than 100,000 people working in the country without permission.
The problem is also associated with other illegal activities, including serious organized crime, taxation and welfare fraud, sexual exploitation and abuse of vulnerable workers, the report says.
The Immigration Minister said the government had agreed in principle to the review's recommendations, which include the introduction of a three-tiered sanctions regime to penalise employers who use illegal workers, with civil penalties and fines, as well as maintaining the current criminal penalties.
Bowen said the government would now embark on six weeks of consultation on the proposals.
"We must ensure any regulatory impacts are balanced against the need to act on illegal work practices. We are particularly interested in hearing the views of small businesses," he said.
Source:http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=708486&publicationSubCategoryId=200
Bowen on Thursday released the review of the Migration Amendment (Employer Sanctions) Act 2007 by independent legal expert Stephen Howells that looked at penalty and enforcement arrangements for businesses employing non-citizens working in Australia without permission.
"The Gillard Government will take action to address deficiencies in the existing laws to ensure we have an effective sanctions system in place to deter illegal work hire practices and take action against recalcitrant employers," Bowen said in a statement on Thursday.
The Howells Review found strong evidence of a growing number of illegal workers in Australia, with a minimum of about 50,000 and potentially more than 100,000 people working in the country without permission.
The problem is also associated with other illegal activities, including serious organized crime, taxation and welfare fraud, sexual exploitation and abuse of vulnerable workers, the report says.
The Immigration Minister said the government had agreed in principle to the review's recommendations, which include the introduction of a three-tiered sanctions regime to penalise employers who use illegal workers, with civil penalties and fines, as well as maintaining the current criminal penalties.
Bowen said the government would now embark on six weeks of consultation on the proposals.
"We must ensure any regulatory impacts are balanced against the need to act on illegal work practices. We are particularly interested in hearing the views of small businesses," he said.
Source:http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=708486&publicationSubCategoryId=200
Highest June migration loss to Australia
New Zealand had its highest June migration loss to Australia in 30 years last month.
The net outflow of 3100 migrants to Australia was up from 1800 in June last year and the highest June total since 1981, Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) said.
For the year to June, the net migrant flow of 29,900 to Australia was the largest June-year loss of people across the Tasman since 2008.
SNZ said net migration had been negative since March, when there was a jump in departures from Christchurch after the February 22 earthquake.
Unadjusted, there were more than 1500 permanent and long-term departures in June, compared with 700 more departures than arrivals a year earlier, SNZ said.
The 600 permanent and long-term departures from Christchurch in June were up from 500 a year ago and arrivals fell from 500 to 300.
- NZPA
The net outflow of 3100 migrants to Australia was up from 1800 in June last year and the highest June total since 1981, Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) said.
For the year to June, the net migrant flow of 29,900 to Australia was the largest June-year loss of people across the Tasman since 2008.
SNZ said net migration had been negative since March, when there was a jump in departures from Christchurch after the February 22 earthquake.
Unadjusted, there were more than 1500 permanent and long-term departures in June, compared with 700 more departures than arrivals a year earlier, SNZ said.
The 600 permanent and long-term departures from Christchurch in June were up from 500 a year ago and arrivals fell from 500 to 300.
- NZPA
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