Chefs are off the menu for the DIAC.
Following the suspension of new applications for Australian general skilled migration visas last week by Australian immigration, many of the Australian states have followed suit.
In fact the Australian Capital Territory is the only state that has not suspended accepting new applications – yet. The ACT issued a list of occupations in April that is widely thought to be their state migration plan, but the ACT have yet to confirm this.
On their website is a link to the ACT Skills in Demand List which explains that the ACT are allocated 500 off-list places a year to nominate occupations on the SOL under their General Skilled Migration Program, in addition to te general state sponsored places. Upon closer inspection the list appears to contain occupations that have been taken OUT of the SOL including hairdressers, librarians and journalists.
ACT say their list is updated each month and at the time of checking, places for those three occupations were still open. Candidates are advised to check with the ACT on their current status before making an application.
One occupation that is not on the ACT skills in demand list is that of chef or cook. The restaurant industry in Australia have criticised the Australian Department of Immigration for not including these occupations even though, they say, chefs and cooks are in critically low supply.
In a statement released through the DIAC website, Senator Chris Evans said that highly qualified chefs and cooks would continue to be welcomed into Australia “under a range of migration options” and that the removal of the occupations from the SOL will not affect the restaurant industry’s ability to hire qualified staff to meet demand.
“Employers can nominate chefs and cooks on 457 visas, employer-sponsored visas and the new State migration plans.”
Senator Evans told of the reason for not including these occupations on the SOL: “Despite more than 4000 chefs and cooks being granted visas under the independent skilled migration program in 2007-08, there were critical shortages in the industry.” He went on to conclude that the majority of those migrants who obtained those visas did not go on to work within their chosen industry.
Senator Evans also claimed that processing arrangements for employer and state-sponsored visa programs had been streamlined to make it easier and quicker for employers to recruit migrant workers.
As part of the shake-up of the Australian immigration program, the points system is also undergoing a review and changes are expected around July when the temporary suspension of general skilled migration visas is lifted and the new SOL takes over from the CSL.
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