Australia has commenced a review of the skilled migration occupation lists, particularly those in the regional areas.
Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Michaelia Cash, said the department review of the skilled migration occupation list was to ensure it is responsive to genuine skill needs and regional variations across Australia.
“As a Government, our role is to ensure that Australian employers can access workers with the skills needed to fill the jobs of today and tomorrow when they can’t be met by the domestic workforce,” .
Melbourne-based migration agent Ranbir Singh told SBS Punjabi that the review will help the government to understand and fill critical shortages in the skilled migration category.
Employment Minister Michaelia Cash says skilled migration is needed to support the government $100 billion infrastructure roll out. Source: AAP
“This visa overhaul will particularly be helpful for the regional areas that are struggling to deal with the skill shortages in some specified areas,” he said.
The message from the government regarding the regional push is becoming clearer now. The introduction of regional visas starting from November 2019 is one clear example where people are set to get this benefit.
Mr Singh said that the migration industry has a feeling that people already studying or working in regional areas may have an edge over the other visa applicants.
“Also, the government has pledged around 20 million for priority processing of regional visas. This clearly shows that the government wants prospective migrants to move out of big cities like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.”
Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, the Hon David Coleman MP, said the Government’s migration program is focussed on ensuring employers can access workers to fill critical skills shortages, particularly in regional Australia.
“We’ve allocated 23,000 regional migration places, introduced two new regional visas and signed Designated Area Migration Agreements around the country to attract migrants to the regions, help towns grow and to fill some of the 60,000 job vacancies in regional Australia,” Minister Coleman said.
Mr Singh said that the perception that securing permanent residency in Australia has become 'next to impossible' is not correct.
“If you plan well in advance and choose to study in regional areas, work in the designated fields, have required English language skills, you can still set yourself up for success,” he said.
