This from the Minister today, annual figures.

Business Skills
The outcome for the Business Skills visa classes was 6,789, 0.2 per cent below the planning level of 6,800 places. The Business Skills planning levels were adjusted downward in 2009-10 from an initial planning level of 7,800 to a revised level of 6,800. The places were transferred to the priority Employer Sponsored category.
Demand in this category decreased by 18.8 per cent in 2009-10, with 12,099 lodgements made. 14,246 clients remain in the pipeline.
In an economic downturn, I fail to understand why they retrict the only visa that guarantees positive economic outcomes - I guess the pollies love to say how many more Australian employers they have helped with sponsored visas.

That said, note the number in the pipeline, almost 2 years of quota.

This has the potential to encourage the Minister to lift the requirements (as we saw recently) or state it is 2 years processing time - which for positive economic gain of the 163/165 is just nonsensical.

However, there is a review of the business skills underway and under the old Minister this was scheduled for year end, now with Bowen's attention on the boat people and having to recover from Evans' mad rush for change, I would expect next year before any review is completed or acted upon.

Anyone thinking about applying but holding off for a better exchange rate, don't bother waiting. It will be at least a year before you get a visa, and you can take forward cover to set a known rate of currency exchange so you know how much to bring. If necessary rent your house and sell it later when the overseas market improves.

Foolish though it is, I foresee a tightening in this category now that we see a move towards employer sponsored visas with public papathy for a bigger Australia.

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