Immigration policies of Australia

Everybody needs a better life - this need has direct people to go away to other countries, which they believe offer them the chance to achieve their dreams. A classic country of choice is Australia since it is one of the flourishing countries in the world. In view of this, Australia immigration policies have been implemented so as to improve and facilitate the process of moving into Australia.

The new immigration policy of Australia has two components, that is, Migration and humanitarian, these two aspects frame the spine of the Immigration Policies of Australia.
Explained minimally, the Humanitarian aspect concerns those people who came to Australia to look for refuge. These include refugees, people who lawfully entered the country and required its protection, in addition to illegal immigrants. Even when the country is supple concerning Humanitarian immigration, it still reserves the power to refuse applications that are deemed weak.

The Migration aspect of Australia is divided into three categories:
1. Skilled Migration
2. Special Eligibility
3. Family Stream
Australia gives much weight to Skilled Migration since through it; they can find answer to some of their employment deficiencies. This feature is divided further into three categories:
a. General Skilled Migration
b. Employer Nomination
c. Business Skill

Australia believes in the significance of a unified family, that is why their immigration policy has a Family Migration category. Immigrants and residents comparable can nominate their child, partners, parents, and/or dependent relatives for migration. In this aspect, the country reserves the right to ask for DNA testing, when it is deemed essential.

Special Eligibility Migration concerns persons who have had previous connections with Australia such as its previous residents and those individuals who were born in Australia but become adult in another country.

The 2009 – 2010 skilled migration program

The planning for the 2009–10 skilled migration program publicized in the 2009–10 Budget build upon the current changes introduced by the Government to make certain the program is strongly targeted on the skills wanted in the Australian labor market.

Previous changes to the skilled migration program:
These changes recognize that the skilled migration program comprises three different elements:

•The employer-sponsored path, where skilled migrants are sponsored into employment that cannot be filled in the vicinity. Many of individuals granted employer-sponsored visas are previously in Australia working on a temporary visa.

•The government-sponsored path, where applicants are sponsored by state or region governments to address skill shortages particular to the jurisdiction.

•The independent skilled path, where applicants are not sponsored and do not essentially have a job to come to.

In the rouse of the global economic crisis and the following slowdown in the Australian economy, on 1 January 2009, the Government introduced the following measures:

•The dealing out of employer-sponsored skilled visa applications will be fast-tracked, as these visas mirror the skills currently wanted by employers.

•State and territory governments have been given bigger scope to back the skills needed in their jurisdiction.

•Where people search for to migrate to Australia without a sponsor, they will only be given precedence if they have an profession on the Critical Skills List (CSL), which is focused on medical, IT professionals and engineers.

Go after those changes, on 16 March 2009, the Government proclaim the 2008–09 skilled migration program would be reduced to 115 000. The decrease affects the self-governing skilled (non-sponsored) portion of the program.

2009–10 Budget announcements:
The priority arrangements implement on 1 January 2009 will stay in place for the 2009–10 skilled migration program, which has been put at 108 100 places. This will make sure that employer-sponsored and government-sponsored visas go on to be fast-tracked.
It remains open for the Government to formulate more adjustments to the skilled migration program in line with Australia’s economic and labor market needs.
The CSL will continue in place for individuals seeking to migrate to Australia not including a sponsor.

These arrangements make sure that only those with a job offer or skills in serious need will be given right of way in the present economic climate.
Besides those priority arrangements, the Government has also declared a reduction of the non-sponsored independent skilled path for trades occupations.

•The English language threshold will be greater than before from IELTS 5 to IELTS 6 in every one of the four IELTS components, which means visa applicants with a chosen trade profession will need to show a competent level of English.

•For temporary GSM visa subclasses with a confessional competent English component, the threshold English language standard will be greater than before from an average score of IELTS 5.5 to a standard of IELTS 6.0. .

•These changes will be valid from 1 July 2009 for people applying offshore and from 1 January 2010 for public applying onshore.

•A Job Ready test will be set up to complement the testing arrangements previously in place for offshore applicants in a number of trades. This will make sure that applicants have the skills claimed. This modification will apply from 1 January 2010.

These measures distinguish that a skilled migrant coming in the course of the non-sponsored pathway must struggle in the local labor market when they land (hence the need for top language skills) and have confirmed that they have the skills claimed.

All of these modifications are aligned with the Government’s longer-term goal to transfer the balance of the skilled migration program. In the past, the employer-sponsored and government-sponsored streams of the skilled migration program have jointly represented just 20 to 25 per cent of the skilled migration program whereas the majority entered through the non-sponsored sovereign skilled stream.

The Government has required to shift that balance. In the 2008–09 skilled migration programs, the employer-sponsored and government-sponsored streams will stand for 43 per cent of the visa grants. In the 2009–10 skilled migration programs, it is probable that the two sponsored streams will stand for close to 50 per cent of visa grants, with an equivalent turn down in the proportion of non-sponsored visa grants.

Source: www.immi.gov.au

Recent changes in IELTS requirements for all Subclass 457 visa


On 1 April 2009, the government of Australia announced a raise to the minimum English language requisite from IELTS 4.5 band to IELTS 5 band for all Subclass 457 visa candidates in the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO) Major Groups 4 to 7 professions and chefs and head chefs, as one of the urgent measures to get better the reliability of the Subclass 457 visa program.

The procedures were developed through 2008 following the promise by the government in last year's Budget to put into practice a package of longer-term reforms to the Subclass 457 visa program in 2009 to develop both its integrity and aptitude to deliver the skills needed in the economy.

The change to the English language requirement from IELTS 4.5 band to IELTS 5.0 band is effectual from 14 April 2009. This fresh requirement will apply to all Subclass 457 visa applicants who are chosen for an occupation in ASCO Major Groups 4-7 or chefs and head chefs (ASCO 3322-11 and ASCO 3322-01) who put forward their application on or after 14 April 2009.

Note: Applicants, who put forward Subclass 457 visa applications prior to 14 April 2009 as chefs and head chefs (ASCO 3322-11 and ASCO 3322-01) that were not finalized, were earlier advised to present proof that they had effectively been tested as having English proficiency at IELTS 4.5.

As at 2 June 2009, applicants in these circumstances no longer require to meet this requirement. Subclass 457 visa applicants in this place may wish to make contact with their relevant case officer for more information.

This change to the English language threshold was initiated to address concerns about the abuse of workers from non-English speaking countries and to enhance line up with the English language requirement of permanent skilled migration groups.