SkillSelect program draws an increase in permanent residence applications

Details

Created on Wednesday, 11 January 2012 18:08

Written by Editorial staff

International citizens seeking to gain permanent employment in Australia are rushing to apply for General Skilled Migration (GSM) visas through the current framework, ahead of the introduction of a new suite of legislation that is set to replace the current system.

Based on a two-stage process, the Skilled Migrant Selection Register - known as SkillSelect - is due to come into force on July 1.

It requires skilled migrants to submit their details online through a dedicated Expression Of Interest (EOI) portal to allow the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to review their qualifications and experiences.

The DIAC will then compare skill-sets with a list of occupations that the Australian labour force is in need of and invite those who match up to make an application for a skilled visa.

In turn this change is designed to speed up the processing times of permanent visas whilst also ensuring that there is a place in the program for individuals within the amount of successful submissions.

According to the DIAC, the changes apply to individuals who are looking at gaining visas related to "independent, family sponsored, state or territory sponsored ... or business skills migration".

This does not mean that immigrants who are already considered to be permanent residents and are seeking to have their family move to the country need to use SkillSelect - this is done through a separate channel.

However, people looking to enter Australia for work who have families or dependents in the country will need to make their intentions clear at the first stage of the process in order to have the relevant entry points applied.

With a noted increase in the emigration of experienced professionals and skilled business owners from European countries such as England and Ireland to Australia, the DIAC's new program could see a rush of applications for migration visas.

While the SkillSelect program will give the DIAC consolidated control over the processes involved in reviewing and issuing immigration visas, it could cause uncertainty amongst future applicants about the state of their submissions.

Where the current iteration of the visa application process simply requires migrants to submit their details and meet a points-based test, the waiting list approach could serve to curb their enthusiasm.

This is because their inherent skills and efforts to meet the requirements set out by the DIAC are not being seen to receive as much consideration with the invitation arrangement.

However, once the system is in place and the streamlined selection process begins to speed up the applications process, this fear could be calmed as migrants acquire roles more suited to their experience and training levels.