brickies,plumbers and welders

[chippy2]

it has been on the news this morning,due to the work situation these jobs are going to be taken off the critical skills list and visa numbers to be reduced by 18000

[Dawny]

it has been on the news this morning,due to the work situation these jobs are going to be taken off the critical skills list and visa numbers to be reduced by 18000

Its not good chippy!!

[Jamie Smith]

For several people this means that Permanent visas will be harder to come by, but the door is by no means closed.

The way forward now is to seek employer sponsorship (ENS or 457) or RSMS with a job offer to strenghten the case. The employers will need to prove there is a lack of local applicants of fair quality first, so expect DIAC to mess this up from time to time in deciding whetehr or not that is the case.

The ENS is a permanent visa, the RSMS leads to it, the 457 gets you over here and can then lead to ENS (or assuming they relax the rules in a year or two, back onto the list for immediate PR).

There are well known shortages of trades people still in regional areas, so perhaps tradies might like to consider a move to a regional area as an entry strategy, then get PR and move again later to the preferred location.

Job offers are now the key to Australian migration for many, much the same for NZ visas too.

Consulting a migration agent is a good idea if the vias choice neeeds to change, getting help with your job search is an even better idea. And a 457 might get you to Australia faster as it shows an immediate job need...

[Scamp1976]

Now is not the time to go on temporary visa's , so I advise that people do not follow Jamie Smith's advice. You can get into very serious trouble if you go the temporary visa way.
Also , if the DIAC finds out that your intention is to stay permanently but you applied for a temp visa, you can get banned from Australia for 3 years and any future visa's will be denied to you ( except perhaps a tourist visa ).
Don't be foolish, think very hard about what you will do , but don't take a temp visa in a recession / depression : It will be a very costly mistake.

[calNgary]

This is a reply Alan Collet left earlier on a similar thread,,,Hope it helps ease some of your concerns.

Once again, having an occupation on the CSL does not impact on your ability to be granted a visa - under the general skilled program there is no requirement to have an occupation on the CSL, nor are there points available for having a CSL occupation.

Having a CSL occupation merely means that your skilled visa application should be processed by DIAC more quickly.

In other words, not having a CSL occupation (or having your occupation removed from the CSL) means the processing time will be longer than applicants who DO have an occupation on the CSL.

To push your application back up the processing pecking order you should consider sponsorship from a State or Territory Government.

Best regards.
__________________
Managing Director, Go Matilda, http://www.gomatilda.com
Registered Migration Agent Number 0102534 and Chartered Accountant (England & Wales, and Australia)
Offices in the UK and in Australia

[kazmatt]

Now is not the time to go on temporary visa's , so I advise that people do not follow Jamie Smith's advice. You can get into very serious trouble if you go the temporary visa way.
Also , if the DIAC finds out that your intention is to stay permanently but you applied for a temp visa, you can get banned from Australia for 3 years and any future visa's will be denied to you ( except perhaps a tourist visa ).
Don't be foolish, think very hard about what you will do , but don't take a temp visa in a recession / depression : It will be a very costly mistake.

i must agree with you scamp, i heard of a few people coming over on temps and losing there jobs and only getting a month to find another sponsor or get out the country, not a good position to be in, not in a recession.

[Jamie Smith]

Now is not the time to go on temporary visa's , so I advise that people do not follow Jamie Smith's advice. You can get into very serious trouble if you go the temporary visa way.

Twaddle.

The lesser risk is that PR policy for those already in Australia changes between now and whenever. The pathways to PR via ENS are unlikely to change otehrwise employers won't be able to attract or keep their workers on temporary visas forever. There will always be this pathway.

The higher risk is that instant PR visas that are points based ARE likely to change - as there is no guarantee that the skilled migrant will work or indeed work in a skilled occupation - so why should Govt give preference to someone who wants to trade in their skilled occuaption for something less, and keep out a skilled migrant coming in via temp visas who HAS to work in their skilled profession?

The decision therefore is a) either do nothing and hope the next iteration of PR visas for offshore applicants is less difficult to deal with, or b) revise/change visa strategy and get into a patthway that is less likely to be affected.

It is MUCH more difficult for DIAC to change rules on people who are tax resident in Australia, as they ahve access to Australian courts and tribunals. Overseas applicants still waiting to get in are lower in the hierarchy of "policy change risks".

And who's to say PR visas for offshore applicants won't change again now that the Government has broken the mould and set the market to expect change?

Also , if the DIAC finds out that your intention is to stay permanently but you applied for a temp visa, you can get banned from Australia for 3 years and any future visa's will be denied to you ( except perhaps a tourist visa ).

Again, twaddle.

A 457, or 456 for shorter visits, is what we're talking about here, not a tourist visa from higher risk countries where visitors can only visit and look around and not apply for jobs.

The Govt is already familar with people on work permits and WHV wanting PR, indeed there are even visa classes that were set up to allow this (ENS).

Don't be foolish, think very hard about what you will do , but don't take a temp visa in a recession / depression : It will be a very costly mistake.

The better thing to do is to get proper advice. A one-two might be the best way forward, to get over here on a temp visa and find an employer willing to sponsor for PR. They do exist!

Waiting might be the WORST option, passing a year or two at home and hoping that an occupation is reinstated before one becomes ineligible for some other reason. I'd say the risk was higher in doing nothing. Getting proper professional advice is the best next step.

[the dobbas]

For several people this means that Permanent visas will be harder to come by, but the door is by no means closed.

The way forward now is to seek employer sponsorship (ENS or 457) or RSMS with a job offer to strenghten the case. The employers will need to prove there is a lack of local applicants of fair quality first, so expect DIAC to mess this up from time to time in deciding whetehr or not that is the case.

The ENS is a permanent visa, the RSMS leads to it, the 457 gets you over here and can then lead to ENS (or assuming they relax the rules in a year or two, back onto the list for immediate PR).

There are well known shortages of trades people still in regional areas, so perhaps tradies might like to consider a move to a regional area as an entry strategy, then get PR and move again later to the preferred location.

Job offers are now the key to Australian migration for many, much the same for NZ visas too.

Consulting a migration agent is a good idea if the vias choice neeeds to change, getting help with your job search is an even better idea. And a 457 might get you to Australia faster as it shows an immediate job need...

hi jamie
you mention here that the rsms leads to a pr visa, i thought it was a pr visa when granted

[Cane Family]

Found this via BBC website.

Government cuts migration program

Monday, 16 March 2009
The Rudd Government will cut the 2008-09 permanent skilled migration program by 14 per cent to protect local jobs while ensuring employers can access skilled professionals in industries still experiencing skills shortages.
As has long been the case, the Government can adjust immigration levels according to the economic circumstances of the day and last week Cabinet agreed to cut the permanent skilled migration program in light of the worsening global economic situation.
Clearly, the economic circumstances in Australia have changed as a result of the global financial crisis so it is prudent to reduce this year’s migration intake accordingly.
The changes to the program are:

• A 14 per cent cut in the 2008-09 permanent skilled migration program intake from 133 500 to 115 000.
• Removing building and manufacturing trades from the Critical Skills List, such as bricklayers, plumbers, welders, carpenters and metal fitters. The list will now comprise mainly health and medical, engineering and IT professions.

These changes follow measures announced in December that resulted in only those migrants sponsored by an employer or in an occupation on the Critical Skills List being granted visas under the permanent skilled migration program. Almost half of the permanent visas granted are to applicants already living and working in Australia.
The Critical Skills List will remain under constant review and the Government will remove occupations from the list if demand for those skills can be satisfied by local labour.
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 are still skills shortages in some sectors, such as healthcare, and these measures will enable industry to continue to source the skilled professionals they need while protecting local jobs and the wages and conditions of Australian workers.
The Rudd Government remains committed to a strong migration program but will continue to monitor the migration intake and will set the 2009-10 migration program to reflect the economic climate as part of the Budget process.
Skilled migration plays a crucial role in stimulating the economy and combined with the Government’s Nation Building and Jobs Plan, will help Australia come out of the global economic downturn.

[Jamie Smith]

hi jamie
you mention here that the rsms leads to a pr visa, i thought it was a pr visa when granted

You can lose the visa if you don't meet the criteria within a set time limit, so it doesn't really become "permanent" until you meet your obligations.