Why migration advice is critical for Queensland"s hospitality industry

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Created on Wednesday, 30 November 2011 13:00

Written by Editorial staff

In 2018 the sunshine state is set to host a range of events connected with one of the largest sporting carnivals in the world.

Queensland has recently won the right to host the 21st Commonwealth Games - potentially giving the state's hospitality industry some serious food for thought in terms of staffing requirements.

In the coming years the regions around the Gold Coast - where the majority of the sporting competition is to be held - will be subject to increasing levels of pedestrian traffic.

First of all there will be a growing number of construction professionals contracted to deliver world-class sporting facilities - working to upgrade existing infrastructure as well as a few new projects.

From there, the region is expected to play host to a large volume of tourists - both domestic and international.

It is not hard to imagine that the majority of visitors will also want to make use of their time in the sunshine state to explore some of Queensland's other attraction - giving the hospitality trade a number of opportunities to benefit from increased traffic.

However, with growing demand for workers in all trades from several resource projects in the state, it is understandable that some venues may find themselves short staffed without prior planning.

Both the hospitality and tourism sectors face unique challenges in this area, as a majority of the roles they offer cannot be filled by migrant workers on the 457 visa.

This is because most of the jobs on offer are not considered to be 'skilled' by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).

According to the DIAC this particular type of sponsorship visa is only suitable for hospitality roles that require a level of training above AQF Certificate III and two years' experience.

Examples of these positions include chefs, marketing specialists, venue managers, accountants and program administrators.

Other positions that require less in the way of either experience or certification can still be filled by foreign nationals, depending on the type of visa they hold at the time.

This situation highlights the real need to gain quality advice from registered Australian migration agents, rather than an unaccredited source.

This is because hiring international workers outside of the conditions set by their visa can bring heavy penalties from the DIAC.

A registered migration agent can help your business by ensuring that any skilled migrant workers that are employed are able to contribute in full by ensuring that they have the right to fill that role from the start.