While Ireland’s economy continues to struggle for momentum, the ongoing resources boom sees Australia’s go from strength to strength and more and more Irish people are beginning to appreciate the opportunities of an Australian visa.

The most popular option for Irish workers is a 457 visa, which allows holders to live and work in Australia; such is the upswing in applications from Ireland that only British and Indian citizens are granted more visas.

“You are seeing an upsurge, the numbers are big,” said Ireland’s ambassador to Australia, Noel White, who added the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has projected a further 15 to 20% increase in 457 applications in the current financial year.

“We have a very high unemployment rate; we’re going through a very difficult time economically,” said Mr White.

“Australia has a booming economy; within that [Western Australia] has a booming economy. Quite clearly, there is space for our needs and your needs to complement one another.”

The current resources boom, centred mostly in Western Australia, has created labour shortages throughout the country as mines continue to grow and Australians leave their current jobs for better opportunities. Skilled migration has been the most commonly proposed solution to labour shortages with the programme receiving an expansion to 190,000 places in last weeks’ federal budget.

Western Australia is the most common destination for Irish workers Down Under as the level of opportunities is at its greatest there.

However, it is not all good news for Australia and the Irish; in March, WA’s training minister, Peter Collier, was reprimanded by Immigration Minister Chris Bowen for attempting to establish a new visa programme to attract 150,000 further Irish workers to the region.

And just last week, Perth police were forced to warn Irish migrants in WA that they risk having their visas cancelled due to drink-related antisocial behaviour.

In July 2012, new requirements for the Parent residence category will come into effect. The requirements include:

The need for people to submit an expression of interest (EOI) and to be invited to apply for residence before they are able to lodge a residence application.

The introduction of a two-tiered system in which people must meet one of two sets of requirements, as well as some generic requirements, in order to gain residence.

Changes to the requirements for the category (such as income, “centre of gravity”, and English language).

Parent Category closing temporarily

In addition to the changes, the Parent Category will close from 16 May 2012 until July 2012. People will not be able to lodge Parent Category applications during this time, however any applications (with all necessary documents) accepted for processing by Immigration New Zealand (INZ) on or before 15 May 2012 will be processed.

EOI system

After July 2012, people will be able to express their interest in applying for New Zealand residence under the Parent Category by completing the appropriate EOI form and submitting it to INZ, along with a NZ$420 fee. A branch for receiving EOIs will be confirmed at a later date.

EOIs will be entered into the Parent Category pool under either tier one or tier two, depending on the requirements they claim to meet. EOIs will be drawn from the pool every three months. After this, the people who submitted these EOIs will either be invited to apply for residence or have their EOIs declined.

Two tiered system

Unlike the previous Parent Category, the new Parent Category will have two tiers with separate requirements applying to each. Applications that meet the tier one criteria will be given priority processing. To gain residence, a person needs to meet the requirements for either tier one or tier two as well as the generic requirements for the category, such as family relationship, sponsorship, health and character. The requirements for each tier are outlined below.

New requirements

All applicants must meet the general requirements of family relationship (with their sponsor), and being of good health and character.

Tier one

– People applying under tier one must meet the following requirements:

They must have either:

a guaranteed life-time minimum income of $27,203 per annum for a single person or $39,890 per annum for a couple, or

minimum settlement funds of $500,000 which they bring to New Zealand, or

a sponsoring adult child who has an income of at least $65,000 per annum or $90,000 per annum when combined with the sponsor’s partner’s income, and

They must not have any dependent children, and

They must meet at least two competencies of International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Level 4.0, meet an equivalent requirement or pre-purchase English for Speakers of Other Languages tuition at a cost of $1,735.

Tier two

– People applying under tier two must meet all of the following requirements:

They must have a sponsoring adult child who has an income of at least $33,675 per annum.

If the applicants have other adult children, the children must all live lawfully and permanently outside the country in which the parents live.

They must not have any dependent children.

They must meet at least two competencies of IELTS Level 4.0, meet an equivalent requirement or pre-purchase English for Speakers of Other Languages tuition at a cost of $1,735.

A “centre of gravity” requirement will no longer apply to the Parent Category.

Order of processing

Under the new Parent Category, priority will be given to tier one EOIs. Applications lodged before the close of the previous Parent Category will be processed second. Tier two EOIs will be processed after these.

Please note that the number of people who can be granted residence through the Parent Category each year is limited to approximately 4,000 people. This number is determined by the New Zealand Residence Programme and the number of people approved through other New Zealand residence categories.

People who have lodged Parent Category applications on or before 15 May 2012

People who lodged Parent Category applications with INZ on or before 15 May 2012, which are still being processed, will have an opportunity to submit an EOI under the new Parent Category if they wish. Such people will need to pay a fee to submit an EOI, but they will not need to pay an application fee should they be invited to apply for residence.

Human Resources and Skills Development Minister Diane Finley made the announcement recently that businesses frustrated by cumbersome bureaucratic measures will be able to process their Canada visa applications for foreign workers if they have proved successful in the past.

Employers wishing to hire foreign workers currently have to apply for a Labour Market Opinion (LMO) which determines whether a company has exhausted attempts to fill available positions with Canadian workers first. If they can prove this, they can then apply to Service Canada, a governmental body aimed at improving access to official services, for permission to recruit overseas.

However, many businesses have complained about the delays in Service Canada’s processing of LMOs, with some applications taking months to process.

“The temporary foreign worker process, as it stands, was too burdensome, too cumbersome, too complication and there was too much red tape,” said David Maclean, the Alberta Enterprise Group’s spokesperson. “It just wasn’t working to meet the needs in this economy.”

In order to address this, Mrs Finley said the new system will prevent unnecessary paperwork with an online application system while new compliance measures will ensure fair treatment of foreign workers. New disciplinary measures will also be introduced to ensure abusers of the system will be prevented from hiring foreign workers for two years.

Mrs Finley granted the first LMO to Alberta-based engineering firm Advance Engineered Products Ltd. who have successfully hired foreign mechanics and welders in the past without issue.

The minister said the programme would initially be focussed on the hiring of skilled workers such as welders in order to address specific shortages but would eventually be expanded to include ‘risk based processing for all occupations and components’ of the current temporary workers programme.

Under the changes, New Zealand visa applicants will have the speed of their applications processed depending on their incomes and language skills.

“We are making changes to give priority to migrants who can make a real contribution to New Zealand,” said Mr Guy. “Overall we expect these changes will eventually save the taxpayer around NZ$40 million [£19.5 million] a year.”

“There will be a new two-tier process for the parents of New Zealand citizens and residents who want to migrate here. Applications from parents who have higher income sponsors, or who bring a guaranteed income or funds, will be processed faster than other applications.”

Mr Guy added that migrants who have a poor grasp of the English language will be required to purchase English language tuition and, in the case of parents of New Zealand citizens or residents, the period of support will be extended from five years to 10.

“As a result of these policy changes, many skilled migrants who have residence here can sponsor their parents and will receive a quicker decision with less red tape.”

Mr Abbott has said an Australia visa programme which maximises skilled migrants would be essential to a coalition government.

The opposition leader has outlined the majority of the coalition party’s policy on migration and, while his views on illegal immigration remain particularly stern, Mr Abbott says the current government has made it harder for skilled foreign migrants to enter Australia on a 457 visa.

“These are the best possible immigrants for Australia. They make a contribution from day one. From day one, they are immersed in the Australian way of life,” Mr Abbott says.

“They also help Australian businesses to make the most of their economic opportunities to build a prosperity which every Australian participates in.”

The 457 visa programme, brought in under the last Liberal prime minister, John Howard, has been hailed by Mr Abbott as one of the Howard government’s ‘most significant innovations’ yet one which has been hampered by the current Labour government’s ‘buckling to unions’ pushing for greater prioritisation placed on Australian workers.

As Australia’s economy continues to expand due to the ongoing construction and mining boom, concern over skills shortages has grown within Australia. As opportunities for highly paid work in mines and on construction projects increase, further gaps are opened in other industries by Australians leaving their old positions.

Australia’s largest trades union has warned the federal government that immigration was not addressing the problem and called for greater control over incoming migrants’ eventual destinations.

Mr Abbott claims checks under the Howard government provided greater control to the federal government and, under a coalition government, the 457 programme would be used to continue to strengthen Australia’s economy.

“Under Howard, Australians were confident in a way they weren’t before or since that the Australian government was in charge and that more or less everyone was pulling their weight.

“A stronger economy is in everyone’s interests; immigrants who contribute to a stronger economy improve the life of every Australia.

“Under a coalition government, section 457 visas won’t be just a component but a mainstay of our immigration programme.”

Jim Flaherty, the Minister of Finance, announced that almost 300,000 people will have their Canadian visa applications returned to them.

The move, which will see applications returned to the applicants along with refunds totalling CA$130 million (£81.5 million) in Canadian visa application fees, is part of the government’s attempt to reform the immigration system.

‘Canada risks losing the global talent competition for the world’s best and brightest as potential immigrations choose to take their skills to other countries with more responsive immigration systems rather than remain in the queue to have their applications processed in Canada’, said Finance Minister Jim Flaherty in the recent budget statement.

Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney has repeatedly stated his intention to reform the Canadian immigration system and while some changes have already been made in an attempt to prioritise skilled workers or those migrants who can fill gaps in the labour market, the government feels the needed reform cannot be completed with such an extensive backlog of applications.

The full plan should be released in the coming months, and includes austerity measures amounting to CA$179 million (£112 million), with much of the savings coming from ‘reducing overhead costs and continuing to streamline operations and programme delivery’, according to Mr Flaherty.

‘Our government will reform Canada’s immigration system to make it faster and more efficient’, said Mr Flaherty. ‘We will ensure it is designed, above all, to strengthen Canada’s economy. As a result we will be better able to fill gaps in our labour force. We will attract more of the entrepreneurs we need to create good jobs and long term economic growth.’

Canterbury has 70 hospitality businesses due to reopen following the earthquake repairs. Many restaurants and other businesses suffered extensive damage and many establishments are desperate to employ high level staff, but many chefs were forced to leave the city for other jobs after last year’s quake.

Jobs which are expected to be in high demand include technical managers, maintenance superintendents, electrical tradesmen and study managers in port and retail operations, as well as a variety of engineering disciplines, including mining, environment and electrical.

In Queensland, mining companies are even poaching skilled workers from the banking and retail sectors in Australia as well as hiring overseas workers.

Many of the major mining corporations are also implementing fly-in fly-out services to assist workers in starting as soon as possible.

Science based jobs are high on the list. Five agricultural science occupations were added, including Agricultural Scientist (Farm System Scientist), Biotechnologist (Genetics Scientist) and Environmental Research Scientist (Water Quality Analyst).

In contrast, the Immediate Skills Shortage List was shortened slightly, with several teaching occupations being removed.

SkillSelect is an online service that enables skilled workers interested in migrating to Australia to record their details to be considered for a skilled visa through an Expression of Interest (EOI). Intending migrants could be found and nominated for skilled visas by Australian employers or state and territory governments, or they could be invited by the Australian Government to lodge a visa application.

The following information is a guide only and is subject to the legislative process. More information will be available closer to 1 July 2012.

SkillSelect is a major change to how Australia manages its skilled migration program.

According to the Australian Government, SkillSelect will ensure the skilled migration program is based on the economic needs of Australia. The Australian Government will be able to manage who is able to apply for skilled migration, when they are able to apply and in what numbers, on the basis of this need.

As a result, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship expects to significantly reduce the time taken to process a visa application.

The Government also states that SkillSelect will help address regional skill shortages. SkillSelect allows intending migrants to indicate they are willing to live and work in regional Australia. This will be of particular benefit to employers experiencing regional skill shortages and state and territory governments attempting to settle migrants in regional Australia.

How SkillSelect works

SkillSelect is an online service that enables skilled workers and business people interested in migrating to Australia to record their details to be considered for a skilled visa through an Expression of Interest (EOI). People can be found and nominated for skilled visas by Australian employers or state and territory governments, or they may be invited by the Australian Government to lodge a visa application.

SkillSelect will be implemented on 1 July 2012. All intending migrants interested in the independent skilled, family sponsored skilled, state or territory sponsored skilled, or business skills visa programs will be required to submit an EOI and receive an invitation in order to lodge a visa application.

Visa programs in SkillSelect

From 1 July 2012, if you are interested in the following visas, you will need to submit an EOI and receive an invitation before you can apply for a visa:

•Subclass 189 Skilled – Independent (Permanent) (Class SI)
•Subclass 190 Skilled – Sponsored (Permanent) (Class SK)
•Subclass 489 – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) (Class SP)
•Business Skills visa program.

You can also express interest in the following visa programs on your EOI to be selected by an employer.

•Subclass 186 – Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) (Class EN)
•Subclass 186 – Regional Sponsored Scheme (RSMS) (Class RN)
•Subclass 457 – Temporary Business (Long Stay) (Class UC)

You can express interest in a range of skilled migration programs in one EOI.

What is an EOI

An EOI is an indication that you would like to be considered for a skilled visa. It is not the same as a visa application.

While you don’t need to submit documents supporting your claims when you submit your EOI, you must have a range of information prepared.

Be aware: You must have documents supporting the claims you make in your EOI ready to go. An invitation to make a visa application may be issued very quickly after you submit your EOI and you will only have 60 days to lodge a completed visa application.

For example, for an independent skilled visa you must have:

•completed a skills assessment and/or a job ready program
•taken an English-language test to prove you meet the English language requirement.

Please note: All visas lodged prior to July 1st will continue to be processed according to current visa arrangements.

For more information on the new Visa Processing System, please visit the Australian Government’s SkillSelect website.