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Skilled Migrant - Capping to be introduced next program year

Skilled Migrant - Capping to be introduced next program year

Old Mar 15th 2009, 5:34 pm
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Default AUSTRALIA'S intake of skilled migrants will be slashed by 18,500

http://www.theage.com.au/national/sk...0315-8yyp.html

Skilled migrants cutback

* Michelle Grattan and Peter Martin
* March 16, 2009

AUSTRALIA'S intake of skilled migrants will be slashed by 18,500 over the next three months — 14 per cent of the annual intake — in a dramatic move to protect local jobs.

Less than a year after increasing the skilled migrant intake to record levels, the Rudd Government has responded to the deepening economic crisis by removing building and manufacturing trades from the list of workers Australia is seeking from overseas.

Bricklayers, plumbers, welders, carpenters and metal fitters will no longer get entry. The list of critical skills is now confined mainly to the health and medical, engineering and IT professions.

The cut reduces the skilled migrant intake for the 2008-09 financial year from 133,500 to 115,000.

The Government had already foreshadowed a reduction in skilled migrants — who form the bulk of the immigration intake — next financial year, with details to be announced in the May budget.

The decision to cut the number of skilled migrants now shows the Government's growing concern about ballooning unemployment, which in February rose from 4.8 per cent to 5.2 per cent.

The official forecast of a 7 per cent unemployment rate by mid next year is certain to be revised up in the budget.

The deep cut in skilled migrant numbers follows December changes that meant only migrants sponsored by an employer or in an occupation on the critical skills list could get a permanent visa. Almost half the visas granted in this category are to people already working in Australia.

Immigration Minister Chris Evans promised further paring back of the critical skills list if warranted. "The Government will remove occupations from the list if demand for those skills can be satisfied by local labour."

Senator Evans said the overwhelming message from business and industry "is that Australia still needs to maintain a skilled migration program but one that is more targeted so that migrant workers are meeting skills shortages and not competing with locals for jobs".

There were still shortages in sectors such as health care. The measures will enable industry to continue to get the skilled professionals needed "while protecting local jobs and the wages and conditions of Australian workers", Senator Evans said.

He added that the Government remained committed to a strong migration program. "Skilled migration plays a crucial role in stimulating the economy."

The cuts came as Mr Swan signed an international communique agreeing to "fight all forms of protectionism and maintain open trade and investment".

Finance ministers and treasurers from the Group of 20 large industrial and developing nations met in Horsham, south-west of London, to thrash out an agreement that committed them to "take whatever action is necessary until growth is restored" with the proviso that they kept their borders open.

"We will try to ensure that there is no intended or unintended trade protectionism," said the meeting's chair, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling, speaking to reporters after the meeting.

Mr Swan told the ABC there had been little disagreement: "You didn't see that in the meeting today. It was a very encouraging outcome. I've been coming to a number of these meetings over the last six months or so and today I saw a resolve we haven't seen before."

Ministers agreed to boost their contributions to the International Monetary Fund to let it help countries that can no longer get credit.

The leaders of the G-20 nations including Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will continue the negotiations in London on April 2. The global financial crisis will dominate Mr Rudd's first face-to-face meeting with US President Barack Obama next week.

Mr Obama yesterday singled out Australia as a country taking appropriate action in the face of the global economic crisis. "Kevin Rudd has taken similar steps (to stimulate the economy) in Australia," he said.
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Old Mar 15th 2009, 6:37 pm
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Default Re: AUSTRALIA'S intake of skilled migrants will be slashed by 18,500

Hi

Can anyone confirm for me please when it says removing trades does that mean just from CSL or completely off the skilled migration list, and what will happen to those lodged before this comes into effect?
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Old Mar 15th 2009, 6:52 pm
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Default Skilled Migrant - Capping to be introduced next program year

The Minister for Immigration is going to announce the introduction of capping of the General Skilled Migration program, and most likely the deletion of some building trades from the CSL, during the next 12 hours in Australia. Impossible to say what this will involve, the devil will be in the detail, but in what has clearly been an orchestrated media campaign most likely motivated by the Queensland elections next Saturday, every Australian newspaper has stories of this ilk this morning:

http://www.theage.com.au/national/sk...0315-8yyp.html

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...31-601,00.html

http://www.smh.com.au/national/immig...0315-8yy2.html


Leaving aside the hype, it seems clear that:

a) the following occupations are being removed from the Critical Shortage List:

bricklayers, plumbers, welders, carpenters and metal fitters;


b) the general skilled migration program is going down from 133,500 to 115,000, ie still at historically high levels but down from this year's peak.


c) to cope with the added backlog in the current program there will be capping, ie it's likely to take longer for visas to be granted.


No doubt more will emerge in the course of the day.


Cheers,

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Old Mar 15th 2009, 6:56 pm
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Default Re: AUSTRALIA'S intake of skilled migrants will be slashed by 18,500

This article is substantialy different from one posted this morning by the SMH even though they seem to have been written from the same press release / briefing. The main difference is whether the cut mentioned is for 2008/9 ( this program year) or 2009/10, next program year, my feeling is that this 14% cut relates to 2008/9 and that there will be a further cut for 2009/10 in the May budget.

They just seem to be talking about removal from the CSL here, but the SOL and MODL are well overdue for revision, and could be revised at anytime now.
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Old Mar 15th 2009, 7:04 pm
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Default Re: Skilled Migrant - Capping to be introduced next program year

George, there is an inconsistancy between the articles as to whether the reduction mentioned is for 2008/9 or 2009/10. My feeling is that its 2008/9 and further reductions and program changes for next year will happen in the May budget.
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Old Mar 15th 2009, 7:06 pm
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Default Re: AUSTRALIA'S intake of skilled migrants will be slashed by 18,500

Originally Posted by ex_exile
This article is substantialy different from one posted this morning by the SMH even though they seem to have been written from the same press release / briefing. The main difference is whether the cut mentioned is for 2008/9 ( this program year) or 2009/10, next program year, my feeling is that this 14% cut relates to 2008/9 and that there will be a further cut for 2009/10 in the May budget.

They just seem to be talking about removal from the CSL here, but the SOL and MODL are well overdue for revision, and could be revised at anytime now.
On the question of numbers, I think they've gone for the maximum political impact and the devil will be in the detail, impossible to say if it takes immediate effect but seems to be bad news for people not on the CSL.

On the mechanism being described, yes I think that Michelle Grattan and Peter Martin, two highly respected commentators, are the victim of a sub-editor's gaffe in this paragraph:

"Bricklayers, plumbers, welders, carpenters and metal fitters will no longer get entry. The list of critical skills is now confined mainly to the health and medical, engineering and IT professions."

Best to wait for the Minister's announcement but I'm sure that people in those occupations will still be getting visas, it may just take longer.

Cheers,

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Old Mar 15th 2009, 7:27 pm
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Default Re: Skilled Migrant - Capping to be introduced next program year

And for those of us who were never on the CSL in the first instance, who have already lodged their visa applications?
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Old Mar 15th 2009, 7:28 pm
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Default Re: Skilled Migrant - Capping to be introduced next program year

how does all this affect someone with excisting state sponsorship who is a plumber awaiting a case officer, if its been reoved from csl will the application still go through.
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Old Mar 15th 2009, 7:29 pm
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Default Re: Skilled Migrant - Capping to be introduced next program year

Very worrying times John eh... As if the visa process isn't stressful enough
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Old Mar 15th 2009, 7:37 pm
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Default Re: Skilled Migrant - Capping to be introduced next program year

Originally Posted by johnknight001
how does all this affect someone with excisting state sponsorship who is a plumber awaiting a case officer, if its been reoved from csl will the application still go through.
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Hi John,

We haven't got the detail yet but you would imagine that all they've done is reduce the CSL by taking out the five designated trades, and that state sponsored applicants are going to be unaffected.

Everyone had best get some sleep, since some of these articles have got some very stupid statements, such as the one in the Age that bricklayers etc "will no longer get entry". This suggests there being units at airport with sniffer dogs finding those tradesmen. The Minister's statement will clarify all this.

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Old Mar 15th 2009, 7:38 pm
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Default Re: Skilled Migrant - Capping to be introduced next program year

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Old Mar 15th 2009, 7:38 pm
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Default Re: Skilled Migrant - Capping to be introduced next program year

the thing is all you can do is wait.Especially if you've lodged your application there aint alot we can do about it
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Old Mar 15th 2009, 7:40 pm
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Default Re: Skilled Migrant - Capping to be introduced next program year

I guess so...wondering now if I should've bothered...wish I'd done this 5 years ago when I started thinking about it, HINDSIGHT IS WONDERFUL EH
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Old Mar 15th 2009, 7:41 pm
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Default Re: Skilled Migrant - Capping to be introduced next program year

Originally Posted by Jen1977ni
Very worrying times John eh... As if the visa process isn't stressful enough
hi jen
yep its all about worrying, you get so close then a change!!!!!!!
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Old Mar 15th 2009, 7:42 pm
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Default Re: Skilled Migrant - Capping to be introduced next program year

Easy for me to say not to panic but capping could just mean a delay in getting your visa if you have already applied. "Targeting" the program is the buzzword - taking some trades off the CSL means more will apply for State Sponsorship - every State sponsored application, the government can claim, is well targeted - a smart visa.

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