News Flash

DIAC releases upcoming Skilled Occupation List changes

Tuesday, June 04, 2013

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has released the changes to Australia's Skilled Occupation List (SOL) which will come in to effect on 1 July this year.

The SOL, which determines which occupations are eligible for independent and family sponsored skilled migration, will have five occupations removed, while the rest will remain.

The five occupations that will be removed from the SOL on 1 July are;

Hospital Pharmacist (ANZSCO 251511)
Retail Pharmacist (ANZSCO 251513)
Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Avionics) (ANZSCO 323111)
Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Mechanical) (ANZSCO 323112)
Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Structures) (ANZSCO 323113)

To see Australia's current SOL, click here.

International students with qualifications in any of the above five occupations wishing to apply for a subclass 485 visa are recommended to submit their application as soon as possible (before 1 July).

For expert Australian migration assistance or advice, contact AMVL Migrations to speak to our friendly team of Registered Migration Agents.

Comments ((Disabled))

Australia still the world's happiest industrial nation

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

This time last year Australia was declared the world's 'happiest industrial nation' for a second consecutive year by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This time last year Australia was still at the height of its mining boom. And yet, despite a slow of the mining boom ever since, Australia has once again taken out the top ranking on the OECD's Better Life Index.

The Australian recently reported the reasons why Australia continues to achieve its worthy title of being such a 'happy' nation;

A FADING mining boom may be taking the gloss off Australia's resource-rich economy but the country has retained the title of happiest industrialised nation in the world.

That's according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's Better Life Index, which ranked the world's developed economies on criteria such as jobs, income, environment and health.

Australia kept the top spot for the third year running, ahead of Sweden—also known for its high living standards and robust economy—and Canada, a rival resource-exporting nation that, like Australia, has reaped the benefits of increasing Asian demand for raw materials.

The upbeat outlook comes as policy makers in Australia try to rebalance the economy, the world's 12th largest, away from a heavy reliance on mining and energy exports toward growth in manufacturing, construction, and consumer spending.

"It's the quality of life that one can enjoy here," said Gaurav Chawla, 27, a careers adviser who moved to Sydney from New Delhi seven years ago. "It's more secure here, cleaner, less cars on the road and less pollution."

Australia's high rank in the OECD index—based on data from the United Nations, individual governments and other sources—is largely due to its economy. The nation mostly sidestepped the economic woes afflicting much of the developed world after the financial crisis and has expanded for 21 years straight without a recession. Unemployment stood at 5.5 per cent in April from 5.6 per cent in March, compared with 12.1 per cent in the euro zone.

"There is no one under the age of 40 now who has experienced a recession as an adult member of the workforce," said Saul Eslake, an economist at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch in Sydney.

It isn't just current residents who see Australia's appeal. The government has so far attracted 170 applicants, believed to be mostly from China, to a new program to develop foreign investment by offering overseas millionaires the right of residency in return for a portion of their wealth. A record 5.7 million foreigners visited the country last year, led by tourists from the US and China, even as the Australian dollar traded at close to 30 year highs.

While locals complain of living costs, Australian households on average spend 19 per cent of their disposable income on keeping a roof over their heads, below the OECD's average of 21 per cent. And 85 per cent of Australian respondents said they were in good health, well above the survey average of 69 per cent.

The negatives in Australia are more than offset by the beach lifestyle and climate, said Geraldine Alvarez, 33, who moved to Sydney from the Philippines two decades ago.

"It's very relaxing and laid back," she said.

The OECD's Better Life Index ranks the world's developed economies on quality-of-life criteria.

1. Australia
2. Sweden
3. Canada
4. Norway
5. Switzerland
6. United States
7. Denmark
8. The Netherlands
9. Iceland
10. United Kingdom

To read the full story at The Australian, click here.

Do you want to migrate to Australia and enjoy its famous laid-back lifestyle? Contact AMVL Migrations to speak to one of our Registered Migration Agents (RMAs) about your Australia visa options. Our RMAs specialise in all visa categories and can offer professional assistance and advice to those wishing to migrate to Australia.

Comments ((Disabled))

Foreign Minister revokes alleged PNG crime boss' 457 visa

Monday, May 20, 2013

The man alleged to be Papua New Guinea's 'most wanted man', a crime boss believed to be responsible for over $30 million worth of theft has had his 457 work visa revoked by Australia's Foreign Minister, Bob Carr.

After fleeing PNG prior to his planned arrest by PNG authorities, Eremas Wartoto has avoided answering allegations of his crime and corruption by residing in northern Queensland on a subclass 457 visa, allowing him to fly in and out of Australia without question.

The Sydney Morning Herald recently reported on the news Mr Wartoto's visa cancellation and eventual arrest;

Mr Wartoto's visa has been cancelled by Senator Carr using laws that allow the Foreign Minister to revoke a 457 on the basis that the holder poses ''a risk to the health, safety or good order of the Australian community''.

But some senior government sources in PNG are furious that the Gillard government did not act sooner to expel Mr Wartoto, who has been living in Australia since he was charged in absentia in August 2011 with serious corruption offences.

The visa allowed Mr Wartoto to live in Cairns and fly in and out of Australia to several Asian countries despite being the most wanted man in PNG.

Mr Wartoto fled Australia to PNG last week after Fairfax tried to photograph him in Queensland. He remained on the run in PNG until Friday, when anti-corruption investigators tracked him to the port town of Kimbe and arrested him.

Mr Wartoto obtained a 457 visa in July 2011 - the foreign skilled worker visa at the centre of a Gillard government crackdown - after learning PNG authorities planned to charge him in August 2011.

Since then he has claimed to be too ill to face trial in Port Moresby but travel records reveal he has travelled to Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Fiji and the Solomon Islands during the past two years and has been able to return to live in Australia each time thanks to his 457 visa.

Mr Wartoto obtained his 457 visa after a Cairns car hire company he owns sponsored him on the basis there was a shortage of ''general corporate managers'' in the area.

To read the full story at the Sydney Morning Herald, click here.

Do you want to apply for an Australia visa? Contact AMVL Migrations to speak to one of our Registered Migration Agents (RMAs). Our RMAs specialise in all visa categories and can offer professional assistance and advice to those wishing to migrate to Australia.

Comments ((Disabled))

DIAC releases upcoming Skilled Occupation List changes

Australia still the world's happiest industrial nation

Foreign Minister revokes alleged PNG crime boss' 457 visa

Recent

Archive