Temporary visa data gives migration agents some good news

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Created on Thursday, 12 April 2012 16:07

Written by Editorial staff

As the new SkillSelect visa system draws closer, it is good to take a step back and look at the changing nature of international visits to Australia and reflect on how migration agents are able to service the needs of this unique industry.

The latest issue of the Temporary entrants and New Zealand citizens in Australia report from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) helps to showcase just how many lives are touched by international travel and the opportunities it brings.

One of the highlights in the publication is the fact that on December 31 2011, there were 1,045,840 temporary visa holders present in the country - a 0.6 per cent increase on the number from the same time last year.

While the majority of these (35 per cent) were visitors on short-stay permissions, an increasing number were making use of working holiday visas and long-stay business visas.

The subclass 417 and 462 saw increased usage of 14.1 per cent up to 134,840, while the subclass 457 visa holders were up 10.9 per cent to 128,600.

For registered migration agents, this helps to show that Australia is maintaining a strong appeal to the working demographic.

In some cases it could be due to the difficult work climate many travellers are experiencing back home - with unemployment in the Eurozone at 10.8 per cent and 7.2 per cent in the US, according to a report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

This account seems concurrent with the efforts of the DIAC in promoting their SkillSelect program - with multiple events already held in the UK, Turkey and Greece and further expos planned for US audiences later in the year.

When combined, the US and UK 457 holders accounted for 32.9 per cent of all visas issued in this subclass - and both countries were in the top five recipients.

While migration agents are still set to face a number of industry challenges over the following year - namely the potential introduction of mandatory IELTS (International English Language Testing System) screening - the data shows that interest in travelling and working in Australia remains high.

With additional support in the form of blanket conditions such as regional migration agreements (RMA) and enterprise migration agreements (EMA), these figures should provide encouragement for future growth in this industry.