Skilled Worker List Set for Review

There hasn't been a better time to apply for that visa.

The Australian Government is set to review the Skilled Occupations List or SOL over the next few months as a result of the ever-increasing skills shortages in some parts of Australia.

Just last December the Immigration Minister published a Critical Skills List, which ensured that those people who had one of the skills on the list, had their applications processed as a priority. It was reviewed earlier this year and some skills, such as bricklaying, were taken off the list. Now the list could be subject to a further change and there is even talk of scrapping the critical list altogether.

And on Friday, the Ministerial Council for Immigration and Cultural affairs met in Canberra to discuss proposed changes to the temporary work visa, making it more flexible to suit changing market needs.

There are now three types of occupation lists, the lowest category is the Skilled Occupations list (SOL). Second in priority comes the Migration Occupations in Demand list (MODL) and now comes the Critical Skills List. But as the SOL list looks set to change yet again, if you are thinking of applying for a visa it’s worth keeping an eye on developments to see if your skill changes on the list.

It is interesting to note that the Critical Skills list is largely taken up with healthcare and engineering professions. But with this list under review, anyone thinking of applying whose skill is mentioned here, is advised to do so quickly.

Senator Chris Evans has already made changes to the temporary skilled visas, which includes the introduction of a minimum wage requirement that will be effective from next month.  It is hoped that the changes will lead to a boost in the number of skilled people applying for visas.

In response to criticism about local workers, Mr Evans also introduced a requirement that all employers of overseas workers must demonstrate their commitment to employing local labour too.  He stated: “The Rudd Government recognises the need for industry to access skilled overseas labour where there are demonstrated skills shortages but it is important that the program complements domestic recruitment and is not used to replace local workers,�

The Government has long been aware that migrants are critical in order to fill the many skilled shortages that are affecting the workplace.  Although Australia has largely managed to weather the financial crisis well, numbers of temporary skilled visa applications have fallen significantly this year.

It is hoped that the changes will lead to more efficient processing of applications and ensure that people with the right skills are placed in the best position. 

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