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

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!