The increasing economic downturn and changing global economic climate together with its effects on Australia has prompted a response from the Australian government with the minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Smith announcing a number of measures to ensure the country’s skilled migration program is better targeted for the needs of the Australian economy.
The measures that are due to take effect from January 1st 2009 are designed to allow skilled migrants who: are sponsored by an employer for a specific job in Australia; are sponsored by a state or territory government; or have skills in critical need, to be given priority for the remainder of the government’s 2008-09 program year. The changes are designed to result in:
- quicker processing of employer-sponsored permanent migration applications, where skilled migrants are sponsored to go into jobs that cannot be filled locally.
- providing state and territory governments with greater scope to meet critical skill shortages in their jurisdiction
- a higher level of priority through a ministerial direction under section 499 of the Migration Act to applicants who have an occupation on a list of skills in critical shortage but do not have an employer or government sponsor.
The government will maintain the current planning target of 133 500 places as a ceiling on the 2008-09 program. Depending on the skill needs of employers the final number of grants may result in a program outcome below that limit.
Download the PDF fact sheet from the Department of Immigration asnd Citizenship.
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