Australia’s migration program, particularly the Subclass 457 Visa Program, is expected to continue to grow in size and scope across the 2011-2012 program year.

Data from the official Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) report, ‘The Outlook for Net Overseas Migration in July 2011,’ suggests that the Australian economy will continue to experience strong support from the resources boom, a high demand for workers with skills in trade occupations, and a decline in the unemployment rate over the coming year.

It is expected that the 2011-2012 program year will see an overall increase in demand for skilled overseas workers, and that employers unable to meet their skill needs from within the Australian labour force will seek to sponsor skilled personnel from overseas on a temporary basis via the Subclass 457 visa program.

Expected Increase in 457 Visa Applications

DIAC has released figures which illustrate a marked increase in the number of sponsored visas granted in the 2011-2012 program year up to and including the 30 September 2011 period.

The number of subclass 457 visa applications lodged between July to the end of September 2011 has seen a 44.1% increase in the number of 457 visa applications lodged during the same period in the previous year.

This is a strong indicator that the 2011-2012 visa program year will see a continued surge in demand for subclass 457 visas. 

It is also expected that the number of Working Holiday Visa grants will also increase.

Increased Allocation of Places

Figures taken from the Australian Governments 2011-2012 Budget show an increase of 16,300 in the number of places to be allocated to Australia’s migration program over the 2011-2012 program year, with Australian government increasing the number of places available for migration to 185,000 during the 2011-2012 year - up from 168,700 places allocated in the previous year.

Of the 185,000 places to be made available over the current program year, 125,850 of these are allocated specifically to the skilled migration stream.

This increase to Australian’s skilled migration program is expected to satisfy the increased demand for skilled overseas workers, particularly within regional areas of Australia.  

Improved Visa Processing Times

The Australian Government has pledged to provide $10 million to improve Australia’s Subclass 457 visa program over a period of four years; the primary objective being to shorten the time taken by DIAC to process 457 visa applications and to provide a final decision on an application.

It is hoped that this increase in funding to 457 visa program will halve DIAC’s processing times, from the current average of four weeks to two weeks. A new processing site is to be opened in Brisbane, and the number of processing staff at DIAC increased.

Improving visa application processing times will allow employers with a genuine need for skilled labour in their Australian businesses to gain faster and more efficient access to overseas skilled workers over the 2011-2012 program year.

Introduction of Regional/Enterprise Agreements

The Australian Government has also expressed an intention to introduce Regional Migration Agreements and Enterprise Migration Agreements to the Subclass 457 program during the 2011-2012 program year.

Regional Migration Agreements will allow local authorities to collectively coordinate access to overseas labour for employers in their region through the recognition of the particular skilled migration needs of that general area. Enterprise Migration Agreement arrangements will allow major resource projects with a capital expenditure of $2 billion and a workforce of 1,500 to gain prompt and coordinated access to overseas labour.

Increased Initiatives for Regional Skilled Migration:

The 2011-2012 program year will also see increased initiatives by the Australian Government to encourage migration to regional areas of Australia.

The Australian government has recently introduced a number of changes to the Employer Sponsored visa program for the 2011-2012 program year, in a bid to encourage overseas skilled workers to migrate to regional Australia.

The Government will allocate $4.8 million over four years to implement various initiatives to encourage migration to regional parts of Australia. These will include strategies to market visa products and services to employers in regional Australia, a series of expos, and an increase in the number of existing DIAC outreach officers whom are able to work personally with State and Territory governments, local councils and employers in regional areas.

Migration to regional areas of Australia will also be encouraged by allocating the highest priority for processing to visa applications made for positions in regional Australia.

Australian Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen, believes these measures are necessary in order to ensure that regional employers are able to attract and retain overseas skilled workers where there is a genuine need.

“This is a responsible and measured approach that recognises the role skilled migrants play in supporting regional enterprises, such as in the resources and healthcare sectors and in trades and professions currently facing significant shortages,”Mr Bowen said.

DIAC have also, for the first time, specified the number of places allocated to the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme, and Employer Nomination Scheme, with 16,000 allocated to Australia’s Regional Sponsored Scheme in the 2011-2012 program year; an increase of 60% on the number of allocated places from the previous program year.

2011-2012 Visa Program Year

The 2011-2012 program year will see a high demand for skilled visas, particularly the Subclass 457 visa.

Australian authorities have sought to address this expected increase in demand by allocating additional places across the skilled migration program, by accelerating visa processing times, and encouraging migration to rural Australia.

Current expectations are that Australia’s need for overseas skilled workers will continue in the near future.

With the increase in skilled migration places available under the 2011-2012 program, its a great time for prospective migrants with skills in demand in Australia to lodge their visa application,  especially if they are prepared to live and work in regional Australia.