SkillSelect Australia – How It will Work

Australian government announced on a change in the immigration policy on effect from July 2012. One of the changes is the creating SkillSelect, a new agency which will control and monitor the recruitment of skilled immigrants.

In the basis of SkillSelect is the registration of the candidate in the system through Expression of Interest (EOI). In this stage, the person detail on his intention to immigrate to Australia and elaborate on his skills. According to their website, the following info will be required:

• Basic personal information
• Nominated occupation
• Work experience
• Study and education
• Level of English skills
• Details of a Skills Assessment, related to the nominated occupation
• Business and investment experience

The above details and skills will account to a certain score, . The highest scores on certain field will automatically qualify for independent visa and family sponsored visas. State and Territory Sponsored Visas will be granted for applicants whose skills are required by a certain state or territory. In such case, the applicant will also get and automatic invitation. Business Skills Visa is also a new type of visa issued under SkillSelect. For the time being, there is no further information about it.

Employer could also use the system of SkillSelect to find skilled workers and to grant Employer Sponsored Visa. Therefore, SkillSelect will be shaped like a job agency for skilled immigrants, holding the data which describe their skills and competence. However, employers will still be able to invite a skilled worker outside of the SkillSelect process, using their own recruitment.

Also, the candidates are subject to Occupation Ceiling criterion, which limits the number of immigration for a certain occupation group on a yearly basis. Once the limit has reached, not more visas will be granted for this group in that year. This is relevant only for independent, family sponsored or state/territory sponsored visas.

When an applicant is invited, it is a must to apply online within 60 days before the invitation expires. Shall an individual refuse twice to an invitation, his EOI will be removed from SkillSelect.

According to SkillSelect, the following Visa will still be open for application with employers granting visas to foreign workers:

• Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) – “Allows Australian employers to sponsor employees who are foreign nationals for a permanent visa to work in Australia”.
• Regional Sponsored Scheme (RSMS) – “Allows employers in regional or low population growth areas of Australia, to sponsor employees who are foreign nationals for a permanent visa to work in Australia”
• Temporary Business (Long Stay), subclass 457 program – “This is the most commonly used program for employers to sponsor overseas workers to work in Australia on a temporary basis.”

Related Links

• SkillSelect Website
• The coming changes in Australian immigration policy

Australia Immigration Policy Change from July 2012

The Australian government declared (March 9th 2012) on forthcoming to the current visa system an immigration policy. Reading the releases, it suppose to help Australia to suffice the demand of workers. Basically it can help workers to reach permanent status faster, and suppose to make things more flexible.

Some of the key features of the reforms include:

• simplifying the current visa structure
• introducing a streamlined and simplified pathway to permanent residence for
  eligible subclass 457 visa holders
• changing the upper age limit from less than 45 to less than 50 years of age
• changing to key visa criteria including English language and skill requirements
•  introducing one consolidated sponsored occupation list to replace the 457,
  ENSOL and StatSOL occupation lists
• strategically refocusing the Regional Certifying Body (RCB) network to the Direct
  Entry stream of RSMS
• integrating the new ENS and RSMS visas with the skilled migrant selection
  model, SkillSelect, which will be launched on 1 July 2012

The above changes no doubt cause a lot of changes for the planning of future immigrants. Not everything is clear yet and clarifications are expected to be given. I recommend for future immigrants of Australia to go over the following document to see the repercussions on your plans:

Related sources by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Australian Government:

• The notice of the reforms
• FAQ about the Permanent Employer-Sponsored Programs Reforms July 2012
• Diagram of the coming changes of Permanent Employer-Sponsored Programs
• Comparison of current and proposed policies of Permanent Employer-Sponsored Programs
• Website of SkillSelect, the new migrant selection model
• My post about the new selection model of SkillSelect

Australia the Immigration Nation

Documentary about Australia’s immigration and its multi-cultural nature. The video is made of 4 parts. The comments on this video raises a lot of question about racism. Regardless of that, it could be a nice introduction to the modern Australia:

Emigrating to Australia from Ireland – An Overview

Update March 2012: There is a change of the Australian visa policy. You might want to learn more about it where I wrote about the Australian immigration policy changes.

Irish people who wish to emigrate from Ireland to other countries, have a certain tendency to prefer English speaking countries over other countries around the world. The reason is quite obvious – the integration process is rapid whether it is work or school, the education of the children is more secure since children can join local schools.

Emigrating to Australia is quite popular in the recent years in Ireland. Besides being an English speaking country, the need for skilled workers, and the relatively convenient term for immigration (in comparison to the the USA), attracts people across Ireland and England.

According to the policy of the Australian government, you will be requested to have an employer (“sponsor”) that should request your arrival. This required a preliminary preparation in finding a contract  before arrival. Yet, if your education and skills is in the “Skill Occupation list” (SOL), you have the opportunity to acquire a visa in an easier process.

To check your condition more thoroughly, go through the Visa Wizard which provides better information on the needed documents before migrating to Australia.

An Irish man moving to Australia, will not find himself alone. Let alone that the Irish-Catholics are the biggest minority in Australia, but these include later generations which were not born in the Irish islands. From reading, around one thousand Irish people emigrate to Australia yearly.

The Irish people emigrated to the land down under have already established their own communities, newspaper and of course, some pubs! Obviously, the big cities such as Sydney or Melbourne are more dynamic in this sense, but some other communities might be found (Research for that before your decision, if it matters to you).

Of course, further reading is needed. If you wish to make your move to Australia, start with the aforementioned Visa Wizard to help you to find out what are your chances and opportunities. Good luck!