Australian Skilled Migration In a Nutshell

Chee Min Ng

• Publisher: Chee Min Ng
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9780992303525
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Droit
• Subtopic: Droit de l'immigration

Australia continues to be a popular migration destination. In the first 15 years of the 21st century, 2.2 million people migrated to Australia with over 65% as skilled migrants. ?

This book provides essential information, facts and critical insights for those contemplating relocating to Australia as skilled migrants.

It guides would-be skilled migrants and others about the Australia's skilled migration program - eligibility requirements, visa-holder's entitlements and the application process.

The Skilled Occupation List, the Consolidated Sponsorship Occupation List and the various state and territory governments' requirements for nomination and sponsorship are current as at 14 December 2016.

1. Thinking of Emigrating?

You Are Not Alone!

Migrants are 3% of world’s population

According to the United Nations Population Center, in 2015, of the world’s total population of seven billion, 3% or 244 million live outside their countries of birth, while more than 740 million moved elsewhere within their countries. This gives a total of almost a billion people who are on the move.

To put this in perspective, the 244 million international migrants would constitute the fifth largest country in the world in numbers.

Very large migrant population abound

Migrant workers

In several countries, a very high percentage of the population is migrants. Qatar, in the Middle East, has the highest proportion of 87%. Luxemburg leads in the OECD with a migrant population of 32%, and 41% of Singapore’s population are immigrants, which is the highest proportion among Asian countries.

The Middle East has a migrant work force of some 15 million people, spread out in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and United Arab Emirates. Of this number, 75% come from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Mexico, Philippines, Turkey have been leading labour-sending countries for decades.

Mexico

In 2015, there were over 12 millions working in USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and other European countries.

Philippines

According to the Commission of Filipinos Overseas, at the end of 2013, there were 10.3 million Filipinos overseas including 5.3 million Filipinos temporarily working overseas in more than 200 countries - mainly as guest workers in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates and more than 367,000 working as merchant seamen in ships plying international waters.

The Philippines started a regulated temporary labour migration program as part of its economic and social development policy more than four decades ago, which looks set to continue as 6,000 are leaving the country daily.

Besides relieving the pressure on domestic employment, the program has been generating huge foreign remittances. Today, overseas remittance is the second largest foreign exchange earner and accounts for 13% of the country’s GDP.

Turkey

Turkish migrant workers, numbering 3.5 million, are mostly in Europe, with more than half of them in Germany.

Over the last three decades, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Cambodia have joined in as significant labour supply countries for some of the Southeast Asian countries.

One in seven persons want to migrate

A survey conducted between 2008 and 2010 in 146 countries found that 14% of the adult population worldwide, that is, 630 million adults, wish to migrate abroad permanently if they had the chance.

Adding the hopeful 630 million adults to the 244 million people already living outside their countries of origin gives a total of 874 million people, or almost one person in seven worldwide, who desire a future away from their homeland. To put it in perspective, the total of migrant and would-be migrant population far exceeds the population of any one country except China and India.

One in 122 persons is a refugee

According to UN Refugee Agency, at the end of 2015, “globally one in every 122 humans is now either a refugee, internally displaced, or seeking asylum.” The number has gone to 60 million compared to 37.5 million a decade. Wars, conflict and persecution have forced them to flee their homes and seek refuge and safety elsewhere.

The majority of refugees will never be resettled in their lifetime. At the current annual intake and resettlement by third countries, it will take over a century to resettle them.

Rich Chinese looking abroad

A survey reported in 2010 that 520,000 or almost 60% of China’s wealthiest people want to emigrate. Another survey in 2010 of 18 major Chinese cities found that 46% of the respondents were thinking of emigrating and another 14% had either emigrated or filed immigration papers. One half of the respondents attributed better education opportunities abroad as the reason for their desire to migrate. About a third of them have invested money abroad as a step towards emigration.

Ordinary Chinese too!

According to a 2014 report, based on surveys conducted in six cities in China, a high percentage of the respondents - 40% in Guangzhou, 34% in Shanghai, 24% in Kunming and 19% in Changchun, “have high willingness to leave and move to another country, depending on circumstances and if presented with a favourable opportunity.”

New Zealand wooing Singaporeans

Even as Singapore continues to be a desired migration destination for many people, some of its citizens are thinking of leaving.

A pilot project in 2010 by the New Zealand Immigration aimed at enticing Singaporeans to New Zealand received interest at a rate of more than 1,000 registrations a week. Within three weeks, 3,565 potential immigrants had registered their interest. Since then, 20,755 visas have been issued to Singaporeans.

Today, the New Zealand Immigration’s website has specific pages aiming at enticing Singaporeans with the following heading:

Come to a country with so much to see and do, and a work/life balance that gives you time and personal space to experience it all. – New Zealand Now

Revolving Doors for Some Countries

Some countries are seeing the phenomenon of incoming migrants happening concurrently with an expanding diaspora of its own citizens. Among them are Malaysia and New Zealand.

Malaysia

Malaysia is home to two million registered foreign workers and increasing numbers of unregistered migrant workers who are mainly unskilled. At the same time, a large and growing number of its citizens either work in another country or are emigrating permanently.

A World Bank report conservatively estimated that, at the end of 2010, one million Malaysians were working overseas with almost 60% of them in Singapore.

There has been a substantial increase in recent years. According to the latest report of the United Nations Population Division, the Malaysia-born population in Singapore has increased to 1.1 million in 2015.

New Zealand

Even as New Zealand has been successfully attracting migrants to the Land of the Long White Cloud, the country has also been losing a significant portion of its citizens to neighbouring Australia in particular.

UK

While the immigrant population in the UK doubled to 8.5 million over the last 25 years (1990-2015) and the immigration was among the triggers that have contributed to Brexit, UK is also the world’s tenth largest source country of migrants!

Canada

Canada has been a migration destination for many with 7.8 million of its population overseas-born. However, 840,000 of Canadians were living in the United States in 2015.

Migrate to Where?

Top 10 destination countries

According to a 2015 report by United Nations Population Division, over 50% of the international migrants are living in 10 countries as shown below:

1. United State - 47 million
2. Germany – 12 million
3. Russia – 12 million
4. Saudi Arabia – 10 million
5. United Kingdom - 9 million
6. France – 8 million
7. Canada – 8 million
8. United Arab Emirates – 8 million
9. Australia – 7 million
10. Spain – 6 million

The migrant numbers in Russia is mainly due to the disintegration of the former Commonwealth of Independent States while those in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates are mainly guest workers working in the Middle East and the Gulf states.

Popular migration destinations remain open

For many aspiring migrants hoping to move to the developed world where English is the lingua franca, Australia, Canada, United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand are popular destinations.

Australia

Australia has been an immigrant nation since 1788. In 1972, Australia dismantled the infamous White Australia immigration policy. The effect of policy change has been reflected Australian demographics since. In 2011, one million people, or five per cent of Australia’s population, were people born in Asia. Seven Asian countries have been consistently among the top ten source countries of migrants into Australia.

Forty-four percent of Australian population were either born overseas or have a parent who was born overseas and twenty percent of the population speaks a language other than English.

Canada

For over a period of 25 years (1990-2014), 5.9 million people migrated to Canada as permanent residents.

Canada abolished its White Canada immigration policy in 1962. It has attract...