The department of immigration has released its latest annual report in which it claims that it has achieved one of its key objectives (beside border protection) of granting the ‘best and brightest’ in the crop of migration applicants a quicker pathway to permanent residency so they can get on with their life and contribute to the Australian economy at the earliest.

In its latest annual report the department boasts that skilled migration application are being finalised between 6 and 12 months from the time of lodgement. The employer nominated scheme is the quickest pathway where the DIBP claims to have achieved almost 90% of its service standard of finalising 75% of the applications within 6 months.

In sharp contrast to this is the processing times for the family stream visas. The case in point is the Partner Temporary visa which has a similar service standard of 75% finalisations in 6 months. However, DIBP has achieved this only in about 1 in 5 cases with most being finalised in 12 months. RMAs have complained that DIBP has intentionally done this in order to spread out grants over the year and that some delays are due to applicants lodging applications without professional guidance due to the high deparmental application charges.

The sc457 Visa grants has seen a dramatic drop across the states. In 2013–14 the 457 primary visa grants for Western Australia (down 41.3 per cent to 8605) and Queensland (down 31 per cent to 7547) both fell. DIBP explained that this is in line with the slowing-down of the mining industry. The 457 primary visa grants for New South Wales (down 18.5 per cent to 19,693) and Victoria (down 14.8 per cent to 12,261) also fell.

The top three source countries for the 457 visa in 2013–14 were India with 23.3 per cent grants, followed by the UK (18.3 per cent) and the Republic of Ireland (7.2 per cent). These were the same top three source countries in 2012–13.

Here is  a tip sheet for migration agents in regard to the re-opening of applications tomorrow. We encourage agents to read this in conjunction with the Essential Information document.

useful-information-for-migration-agents-nsw-nomination-190-visa.pdf

The media and unions have taken a broad swipe at the sc457 programme today referring to a leaked audit of the program by the Fair Work Ombudsman which suggests that “up to 3,600 [foreign workers] are working as teachers, mainly in early childhood care” when in contrast there are some 4,000 teaching graduate’s still looking for work 4 months after completing higher education.

“Foreign nationals on 457 visas are working in schools and early childhood centres despite a growing glut of unemployed Australian teaching graduates” states The Sydney Morning Herald. Childcare centres and some specialist schools in non-regional areas got special mention as employers who may be overlooking local university graduates for TAFE qualified foreign graduates.

Stephen Dinham, professor of education at the University of Melbourne, told the paper that non-traditional colleges were turning out graduates, particularly in early childhood and primary, worsening the glut of university-trained teachers.

He said the dozen or so different routes into early childhood teaching, from a minimum-level TAFE diploma up to a master's in education from a university, made understanding the sector more complex than primary and secondary schools.

Unions on the other hand have blamed the need for foreign staff on the "inadequate" pay in the female-dominated early childhood sector.

The department of immigration is undertaking a public consultation via a survey to obtain views on the size, balance and composition of the 2015-16 Migration Programme and the factors to be taken into consideration in planning Australia’s future migration intakes, including longer term indicators.

“We hope to stimulate your thoughts around the planning for and management of the programme to best meet Australia’s economic and social needs in view of the changing nature of migration in Australia and overseas. Your views will be considered in the department’s submission to government on the 2015-16 Migration Programme and will inform the size, balance and composition of Australia’s future migration intakes” notes the recently released discussion paper from the DIBP.

The paper acknowledges that the department is aware of the increasing global competitiveness in attracting and retaining highly skilled migrants from overseas and the need for a clearer, deregulated skilled migration visa framework that will help shape and define Australia’s economic future.

At present, the Migration Programme is planned annually. However, DIBP is considering alternative approaches to planning, with a longer term planning horizon and an increased flexibility within the programme to respond to the ongoing and emerging economic needs and family reunion challenges of Australians.

As part of this process, the department may be exploring alternative planning options including a range-based planning approach and a multi-year planning cycle for future consideration

Migration Alliance members receive a special discounted rate for this conference of $400.00 per head for a short while only.

This conference convened by A/Prof Andre Renzaho brings together researchers, administrators, policy makers, students from all over the globe to collectively contribute towards improving policy, research and practice in issues of Migration, Social disadvantage and Health.

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