bridie

http://www.skynews.com.au/news/article.aspx?id=273863

Scuba Steve

I'm getting very twitchy. Don't think my job offer's secure at all at the moment.

stuckinblighty

hey twitchy bum you can have my job if you want it !

Lee

welshviking

Hooray!!!!








Sorry bad joke for those still waiting

punoo

People who already applied..will this affect them? :O( waited for 4 years to apply..and now this ...pls pls dont say it will!!

Scuba Steve

Same here! And people are getting made redundant left right and centre in my profession here

Twinset

Spoke to my agent about this 3 weeks ago, same answer as before when they cut the ocupations list for state sponsorship: if you are already in the system it should be okay.

If not, best get a move on!!

(At this juncture I would like to point out that I have no clue what the Oz govt will do, or legally where they would stand if they closed the door on some visas, or cut some temporary visas off the list)

PR visas less likely to be affected in the same way, worrying but factually correct statements from various politicians around "temporary visas are exactly that".......

If it was easy, then it wouldn't be worth doing......

JAJ

Legally? Short answer is that as a sovereign country, Australia can do pretty much what it likes to change its immigration laws.

Only Australian citizens have an unqualified right to enter and remain in Australia.

Longer answer is that the Minister can change certain things at the stroke of a pen (the law authorises this through a Gazette Notice). Including migration quotas, pass/pool marks, SOL and MODL, etc.

Most changes to the rules for visas can be implemented by Regulations. Again more or less at the stroke of the Minister's pen, subject to being overturned by the Senate.

The final category of changes involves those that require amending the Migration Act, which can only be done by Parliament. Not the Minister.

And finally, skill assessment authorities and state migration authorities can change their own rules any time they like.

HUP

I heard about the chance of cuts on the radio today. Saw the article below online. Last 2 paragraphs were interesting. The talk here at the moment is that there will be a big increase in unemployment over the next year which will make finding jobs for your average migrant a lot harder. Obviously those with specialized skills should be in a better position.

Australia may cut immigration amid financial crisis

21 hours ago

SYDNEY (AFP) — Australia may cut the flow of immigrants into the nation if unemployment rises in the face of the global financial crisis, a cabinet minister said Sunday.

Immigration Minister Chris Evans said the government would wait until the release in November of mid-year financial data before deciding on whether to reduce numbers.

"Clearly if the demand for labour comes off you'd adjust the migration programme accordingly," he told Nine Network television.

"We can turn the taps off if we need to.

"But there are still industries with strong demand for labour and we'll just have to talk to industry and make a judgment about what the appropriate level will be once we've got a bit better idea of what's happening in the economy ."

Around 190,300 immigrants are projected to arrive in Australia in 2008/09, with skilled workers accounting for most places as the country battles chronic labour shortages in some sectors.

Evans said the current programme was designed when Australia's forecast was for economic growth, high inflation and a skills crisis.

"If those parameters are changing, the government will take a sober look at those issues and make a decision when we have got proper information," he said.

Evans said any decision to cut the intake would be a complex process given the contributions new arrivals made to the economy.

"We know that they consume, they buy property, and they're a net positive to the budget," he said.

"And a lot of the skills that are coming in at the moment are in the mining sector, which has allowed us to increase our exports."

Evans said the global financial crisis had already boosted interest in immigration to Australia from countries experiencing an economic downturn such as Britain and New Zealand.

"I think the downturn in Great Britain over the last year or two has actually seen a renewed interest from Great Britain in people looking to migrate either temporarily or permanently," he said.

MSGuy

I think all we can do is wait and see

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sto...02-662,00.html

Twinset

Hi JAJ,

Thought that might be the case......guess the question may be how things are likely to develop and at what pace: again, critical thing is how it will affect those with temp visas pending approval vs those who have not started.

Any views?

Twinset

themerlin

And thats exactly the reason I got my citizenship as soon as I could!

Uncertain times for people on those working visas, bad enough to loose your job, but to be kicked out the country at the same time will be a double hit

Syedney

[QUOTE=JAJ;6913274]Legally? Short answer is that as a sovereign country, Australia can do pretty much what it likes to change its immigration laws.

Only Australian citizens have an unqualified right to enter and remain in Australia.
+++++++++++++++++++++++

There lies the problem: Get rid off the lazy Ozzies!!!

JAJ

Things could change very suddenly. As I said, there are aspects of the rules that the Minister can change directly without reference to anyone.

Anything can happen in sufficiently extreme circumstances, however it is likely that:

- those with applications in the system would be assessed under existing rules
- those who have temporary visas with a clear pathway to permanent residence would probably be allowed to keep their PR opportunity.

The second category does not include those on student visas or 457 visas who might hope to obtain permanent residence at some point.

JAJ

And some 457 holders may discover that, even if they don't lose their job, it could become a lot harder to get permanent resident status.