Edwina estimates that between 3,000 and 4,000 people have emigrated with her company so far this year. Teachers who are finding it hard to get jobs in Ireland because of the cutbacks to the education sector will have no trouble finding work in Australia, according to Edwina from VisaFirst.
“Teachers are sponsored by the Stare in Western Australia and they are really saying ‘we need you now over there‘.”
She added: “They’ve changed he migration policy now and individual states have their own shortage list of skilled workers. Before July of last year, a carpenter could apply to anywhere in Australia, but they’d have a waiting list of up to one year.”
Meanwhile, those who are looking for work closer to Melbourne and Sydney will also be in demand. In New South Wales they’re looking for accountants, people in the financial area or computing, engineers, and people from pharmacy or medical backgrounds.
“It’s easier for native English speakers to apply because any other nationalities have to do an English test before they can go.”
Before the new system was introduced there were more than 80 routes for a non-EU national to enter the UK. The present, much more simpler framework consists of 5 tiers, which help people find the right path to the UK.
Tier 1 is for highly skilled individuals willing to practice what they do best in the UK
Tier 2 is for skilled workers (nurses, teachers, engineers, etc.) who already have a job offer to work in the UK
Tier 3 is for a very limited number of low skilled workers needed to fill temporary labour shortages for a specific project
Tier 4 is for students, continuing their education in the United Kingdom
Tier 5 is for Youth Mobility and temporary workers (people who are allowed to work in the Uk for a limited time)
For each tier there is a point target that the applicants need to meet. Points are awarded according to an objective and transparent criteria, allowing applicants to assess themselves.
I’ve been all over the Internet, browsing through a number of articles on UK and Australian news sites regarding the fact that Australia might no longer need skilled professionals. The Age and BBC both issued articles, revealing the main concerns and motives behind the decision to cutback skilled migration visas by 15%.
Long story short – skilled individuals in construction such as bricklayers, plumbers, welders, carpenters and metal fitters are no longer required, but Australia still needs doctors, nurses, engineers and IT specialists. It is all done with the sole purpose of assuring more Australians are able to find decent employment, or any employment for that matter. Immigration MinisterChris Evans added:
“The Government will remove occupations from the list if demand for those skills can be satisfied by local labour.”
Senator Evans stated that Australia will maintaining its skilled migration program, however it has to be better targeted so that migrant workers are meeting skills shortages and not competing with locals for jobs.
Obtaining Australian Skilled Migration Visa is not an easy task and it requires a considerable amount of time to prepare. If your occupation is in the critical skills list, you might want to fill an application form. Australia is one of the countries making more effort in fighting the crisis and is most likely to overcome the financial downfall sooner.
