Skilled migrants targeted by Australian migration program

Australia, 28th October: Australian immigration program is providing the skills needed by Australia, the Australian immigration minister Chris Bowen has asserted.

Speaking about the immigration program of the nation, Mr. Bowen said that the approach towards international workers was working in bridging the gaps between high demand and inadequate supply of workers.

Among the top three occupations getting overseas workers with requisite skills included healthcare, nursing, engineering, financial and IT sector.

As per the latest figures revealed by the DIAC(Department of Immigration and Citizenship)Report on Migration Program 2009-10 , around 60 percent of the outcome for the skill stream included applicants under targeted Australian visa categories including sponsored candidates for Australian visas(from state government/territory government or an employer in Australia).

The figures show an increase of around 12 percent over the previous year.

The last year saw a total of 168,623 immigrants moving to Australia including 5,370 computer professionals. These computer professionals immigrating to Australia were among 107,868 immigrants getting permanent residency in Australia based on their skills. It also included 6,734 accountants and 3,960 registered nurses.

The Critical Skills List by Australian Government processed applications of migrants possessing qualifications in C++, data warehousing, J2EE, Linux, C# or C*, Java, Oracle, SAP, Unix, Siebel, Solaris, or PeopleSoft skills.

It may be mentioned that the Critical Skills List was replaced by the Skilled Occupations List to be reviewed each year as per the advice given by Skills Australia.

The Australian skilled migration program targeted the skills in short supply in Australia with the major sectors facing skills shortages identified as healthcare, engineering, IT, and financial sectors.

The outcome of the skilled migration program is consistent with the Australian government’s aim of targeting the requirements of Australian employers and Australian industries, added Mr. Bowen.

The skilled immigration to Australia is expected to go up by 5,750 in the next year as the Australian economy continues to grow.

Australia has a huge dependence on Australian skilled migration to fill the skills shortage in the nation. Under the Australian General Skilled Migration program, employers are eligible to apply for offering sponsorships to temporary foreign workers under different job-based immigration programs.