​​Captured on video for the first time in Australia, the phone call that changes everything. Check out Hardeep receiving a phone call from me (Andrew) telling him the great news that his Skilled visa for Australia has been approved. Big congratulations to Hardeep and his partner, now you can relax and enjoy your new life in Australia!!

​RN By Farz Edraki and Cathy Pryor for This Working Life

Manal Aqrawe is a doctor with more than 20 years of experience, but she can't get a job in Australia — even outside medicine.

Born in Iraq, she left when Mosul fell to Islamic State — losing her home, job and "anything related" to her previous life "within minutes".

Manal now calls Brisbane home, and she feels lucky to have "a second chance in a safe place".

But despite passing stringent medical qualifications here, she's found it difficult to get a hospital position.
​
"The reason was due to lack of local experience or local referees, and huge competition for limited job vacancies," she tells RN's This Working Life.

​Even with an unpaid stint as an observer at a hospital, she's still unemployed and is now looking for "any opportunity" for work.

It's a sobering story, but not an isolated one.

New migrants trying to negotiate Australia's workforce face a litany of uphill battles: lack of skills recognition; uncertainty of work; a greater risk of vulnerability and exploitation.

According to the Australia Talks National Survey, 86 per cent of new migrants think companies will always try to exploit workers if they can.
​
And 68 per cent said they'd be happier with a better job.

​So what are some of the barriers to entry for newly-arrived migrants in Australian workplaces — and the challenges they face once they're there?

'Doctors end up driving taxis'

Mohammad Al-Khafaji, the CEO of the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia, says qualification recognition is just one reason migrants find it hard to gain relevant work.

"There is a culture in Australia where qualification doesn't really mean much," he says.

"In Australia, we have this obsession with 'Australian experience'."

Chirag Khunt, a pharmaceutical science graduate who migrated to Australia from India in 2011, experienced this first-hand.
​
"The biggest question [which was a] challenge to me was: 'do you have local experience?' which I don't," he says.

He's since been able to secure a job in his field: working in quality control and assurance for a multinational pharmaceutical company.
​
But it hasn't come easily.

​When he first moved to Australia, applying for work was a "challenge" because he wasn't sure how to format a CV and had "no clue" about cover letters.

"I started applying for jobs and ended up applying for 250 plus jobs in four to five months," he says.
​
"Every day I was getting emails saying my application was unsuccessful.

"Even though I have good experience, my experience was overseas."

Mr Al-Khafaji sees this as a "missed opportunity" for employers, particularly in fields where there are skills shortages.
"If we continue on the path that we are continuing on now, we will miss out on a huge percentage of very qualified, very innovative people that we should be welcoming," he says.
"It's making some of our doctors or engineers end up driving taxis or Ubers."

Temporary visas

While Chirag has permanent residency status, many other new migrants arrive on temporary visas.

Joanna Howe, from the faculty of law at the University of Adelaide, says such visa conditions can result in a "restricted job market".

"One of the things that we've seen over the last two decades is a real shift to temporary visa holders being the mainstay of the labour migration program," she says.

"For international students, they can only work 40 hours a fortnight, so they need to find an employer willing to hire them for that amount."

In such cases, Dr Howe says employers are "much less likely" to hire migrant workers who are on temporary visas.
​
"They'd rather go with someone who's a sure bet and going to stay in Australia for longer."

​And once hired, new migrants on temporary visas are exposed to a greater degree of job insecurity and vulnerability — as the 2019 Migrant Workers' Taskforce report highlights.

The report found 50 per cent of almost 880,000 migrant workers in the country may be being underpaid.

"While we know that there are many good employers across the country, the fact of the matter is … and the taskforce report highlights this, that some aspects of our visa design creates these structural vulnerabilities for temporary migrants," Dr Howe says.

Employers become in effect the "immigration sponsor as well as an employer" and that creates "additional vulnerabilities" for migrant employees.

"There's lots of incentives for these workers not to complain, because if they do complain and they report exploitation, they will lose their job and therefore possibly their right to stay," Dr Howe adds.

'A sense of resilience'

For Chirag, part of the learning curve has been around learning "interpersonal skills" at work.

"That's hard for migrant to understand," he explains, "because they're coming from one part of the world to another part of the world with the same mindset".

Coming from India, he had the requisite technical skills.

"But when it comes to talking with people, that's the scary part. I was good with computers, but I was not good with people," Chirag says.
​
New migrants like Candida Rego say network-building has been key to her transition to working in Australia.

FOR FULL STORY CLICK THE LINK BELOW:
www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-31/migrant-experience-of-work-australia-talks/11600862

Breaking News!!

More great news for visa applicants in Perth. (and the Gold Coast). Perth has been designated as a Regional area for the new skilled visa changes coming on the 16th November 2019. This may mean Perth can be used for the new 491 Visa (Skilled Work Regional) and new Subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa. It should also mean that those who study in Perth can obtain an extra 5 points for studying in Perth. In addition, it could be that those applying for the Temporary Graduate Visa 485 may now be eligible for a 3 year visa, instead of 2. Confirmation will follow in due course. More of a reason to come to Perth!!! 

Below is a brief summary of the 491 visa and 494 visa:

491 VISA (SKILLED WORK REGIONAL VISA) – PROVISIONAL​

Summary 

For people who are nominated by a State or Territory government or sponsored by an eligible family member to live and work in regional Australia. (Perth is now regional). Closes the Subclass 489 (Skilled – Regional (Provisional)) visa (Subclass 489) to primary applicants. 

When does it start? 

The 491 visa commences on 16 November 2019.

How long is the visa duration? 

The new Skilled Work Regional subclass 491 visa will enable eligible skilled workers and their families to live, work and study in designated regional areas of Australia for 5 years. 

When can I apply for permanent residency? 

Visa holders who are eligible will be able to apply for a Permanent Residence visa after three years. 

What is the process to apply for the 491 visa? 

Applicants for this visa must be nominated by an Australian state or territory government agency or sponsored by an eligible family member residing in a designated regional area and be  invited to apply for the visa, following submission of an Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect. 491 visa is a skilled visa (points tested). 

Is there a limit on visa places? 

Yes the subclass 491 visa has 14,000 places allocated per year,  which requires either state government nomination or sponsored by an eligible family member residing in a designated regional area. 

What is the age limit for the 491 visa? 

The age limit for the 491 visa is 45 years of age. 

Will I require a skill assessment for the 491 visa? 

Yes most likely a full skill assessment will be required in your chosen occupation. Note you cannot use your Graduate Visa 485 skill assessment. 

What points will I need to get an invite? 

Good question!! We will only know the details on the required points after we get the data on the invitations issued under the new 491 visa. Currently, 65 points is the minimum. However, in reality much higher points are required for an invite. (eg 80/85). 

Are there any changes to the Points test for the 491 visa? 

Yes there are significant changes being made to the points test for all skilled visas. (189 visa, 190 visa, 491 visa). 

The main changes are: 

• 15 points for nomination by a State or Territory government agency or sponsorship by a family member residing in regional Australia, to live and work in regional Australia
• 10 points for a skilled spouse or de facto partner
• 10 points for certain Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) qualifications;
• 5 points for a spouse or de facto partner with ‘competent English
• 10 points for applicants without a spouse or de facto partner (ie single people) 

Can I apply for permanent residency after 3 years? 

Possibly!! However, it will most importantly depend on the income you have earned. Ouch!! PR does not come easy these days... This will require a primary applicant to submit evidence of their minimum taxable income for least 3 income years. Regional provisional visas are valid for five years and the income requirement should be met for three out of those five years. How much do you need to earn? Well, most likely over $53,900. 

Are there any restrictions on the 491 visa? 

Yes, holders of the new regional provisional visas will be subject to visa condition 8579, requiring the visa holder to live, work and study in regional Australia. You can go on holiday to Sydney so do not worry about that!! If a visa holder chooses not to reside in regional Australia, this may result in cancellation of their visa. Ouch!! 

How much is the 491 visa? 

The 491 visa cost is currently $4,045 for the main applicant, $2,025​ for an applicant who is at least 18 and 
$1,010 for an applicant who is less than 18. 

494 SKILLED EMPLOYER SPONSORED REGIONAL VISA 

Summary 

A new and enhanced employer-sponsored visa to assist regional Australia, with two streams: Employer Sponsored and Labour Agreement. Note Perth is classed as regional. Closes the Subclass 187 (Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme) visa, except for certain transitional applicants. Subclass 187 is superseded by Subclass 494. 

When does the 494 visa start? 

The 494 visa commences on 16 November 2019.

How long is the visa duration? 

The new Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional 494 visa will enable eligible skilled workers and their families to live, work and study in designated regional areas of Australia for 5 years. For an applicant who satisfies the primary criteria, it is a temporary visa permitting the holder to travel to, enter and remain in Australia for 5 years from the date of grant.

When can I apply for permanent residency? 

Visa holders who are eligible will be able to apply for a Permanent Residence visa after three years as with the 491 visa. 

What is the process to apply for the 494 visa? 

The first step would be to find an employer willing to offer you a job and sponsorship. Get those CVs out there!! 

Step 1 - Sponsorship
Step 2 - Nomination Application  (plus approval by the Regional Certifying Body (RCB))
Step 3 - Visa Application

We can speak to your employer for your on your behalf to check their eligibility. 
Please email me at andrew@visamakers.com.au, we would be happy to help if you have any questions. 

Is there a limit on visa places? 

Yes, the subclass 494 visa has 9,000 places allocated per year. 

What is the age limit for the 491 visa? 

The age limit for the 494 visa is 45 years of age. 

Will I require a skill assessment for the 491 visa? 

Yes most likely a full skill assessment will be required in your chosen occupation. Note you cannot use your Graduate Visa 485 skill assessment. 

Do I need work experience to apply for the 494 visa? 

Yes, you must have at least three years of full time and relevant skilled work experience. For those on the Graduate Visa 485, it is super important to find employment as soon as possible to build up the 3 years experience. 

What english level do I need for the 494 visa? 

You will need 'Competent English' level to meet the requirements. See below: 

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) At least 6 for each of the 4 components
• Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) At least 12 for listening, 13 for reading, 21 for writing and 18 for speaking
• Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) At least 50 for each of the 4 components
• Occupational English Test (OET) At least B for each of the 4 components
• ​Cambridge C1 Advanced test At least 169 in each of the 4 components

Can I apply for permanent residency after 3 years? 

Same as with the 491 visa above. It will most importantly depend on the income you have earned. This will require a primary applicant to submit evidence of their minimum taxable income for least 3 income years. Regional provisional visas are valid for five years and the income requirement should be met for three out of those five years. How much do you need to earn? Well, most likely over $53,900, same as with the 491 visa. In addition, you should have worked in the designated regional area for at least three years, whilst holding a 494 visa. 

How do I apply for permanent residency from the 494 visa? 

Permanent residence is applied for through a new visa called the Subclass 191 (Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional)) visa. You can apply when the following is met:

1. You have worked in the designated regional area for at least three years, whilst holding a 494 visa
2. You can show earnings of at least $53,900 annually for three years. Note if your partner has earned the $53,900 then they can apply for the 191, so only one of you needs to show the 3 years of annual salary. Please note also that you do NOT need to be nominated by an employer to make an application for the 191 visa. This is a major difference to the RSMS 187 visa.

What are the employer requirements for the 494 visa? 

In summary: 

• Your employer must be located in a designated regional area of Australia. (excludes employers in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne). The regions of Newcastle, Wollongong and the NSW Central Coast will become designated regional areas
• Your position is on the relevant occupation list 
• Your employer will need approval from the Regional Certifying Body (RCB) in your area
• The position must be full-time, genuine and likely to be available for five years
• You must be paid at the market salary rate

See Visa Makers for all the requirements. 

Are there any restrictions on the 494 visa? 

Yes, holders of the new regional provisional visas will be subject to visa condition 8579, requiring the visa holder to live, work and study in regional Australia. You can go on holiday to Sydney so do not worry about that!! If a visa holder chooses not to reside in regional Australia, this may result in cancellation of their visa. Ouch!! 

How much is the 491 visa? 

The 494 visa cost is $4,045 for the main applicant, $2,025​ for an applicant who is at least 18 and 
$1,010 for an applicant who is less than 18. 

What if I want to leave my employer on a 494 visa? 

Should a 494 visa holder cease their employment, they are provided with a grace period of 90 days to find another employer sponsor and be nominated. 

​Thank you for reading to the end. I hope it helps you on your migration journey. 

If you have any questions on the new 491 or 494 visa please email me directly and I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. 

Andrew McAuley (MARN: 1278335)

andrew@visamakers.com.au


🇦🇺☀️

An estimated 75,000 backpackers could receive hundreds of millions of dollars from the tax office after the Federal Court ruled the Government's so-called backpacker tax invalid.

Key points:

• The Federal Court has ruled a tax on working holiday visa holders is invalid
• The court said it was a form of discrimination in violation of tax treaties Australia has signed
• Farmers have blamed the tax for a slump in seasonal workers

The ruling said the tax was a "form of discrimination based on nationality" and in contravention of several treaties Australia has signed with other countries.

The landmark court decision found the Federal Government's controversial 'backpacker tax' cannot lawfully be applied to citizens from eight foreign countries.

Those are the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Finland, Chile, Japan, Norway, and Turkey.

The tax on working holiday-makers was introduced in 2017 and meant any foreigner on 417 or 462 visas who earned under $18,200 would need to pay 15 per cent tax, unlike Australians who were not taxed on similar earnings.
​
Each year about 150,000 foreigners come to Australia on working holiday visas, meaning the case could potentially impact upon half of those who worked here between the 2017 and 2019 financial years.

​'Slippery slope'

Catherine Addy, who the test case was mounted on behalf of, told the ABC in an emailed statement through her lawyer that she was pleased with the outcome, which had now been ruled had discriminated against working holidaymakers.

Ms Addy came to Australia on a working holiday visa in 2015, undertaking various roles in the hospitality industry before returning to the UK in 2017.
​
The ATO hit her with a tax bill for her work in Australia, which she disputed as part of the case.
She welcomed the Federal Court upholding her appeal.

"I think it is wrong that foreigners should be taxed more harshly than Australians when they are doing the same work," Ms Addy said.

​"In my opinion it is a slippery slope. It just makes sense, no matter where you come from, that if you are doing the same work then you have to be paid the same money."

Long-running drama

The divisive proposal to institute the tax was floated in the 2015 Budget and the level of taxation changed several times, leading to widespread confusion among working holiday-makers.

It also angered the farm sector, with many farmers reliant on seasonal labour blaming the tax for a slump in workers at harvest times.
​
In early 2017, international tax advisory firm Taxback.com launched legal action seeking to have the tax overturned.
And on Wednesday in Brisbane's Federal Court, Justice Logan agreed it was invalid.

"That is a disguised form of discrimination based on nationality," he said.
"That is exactly the type of discrimination which is prohibited by Art 25(1) of the Double Taxation Agreement and, per force of s4 of the Agreements Act, prohibited by that Act.
"It is but a more particular variant of the disguised discrimination example given in the OECD commentaries, at 332, [1], of different treatment of individuals based on whether or not they hold, or are entitled to, a passport issued by the State."

In a statement, Taxback.com CEO Joanna Murphy welcomed the decision.
​
"In our view it was very clear, when the tax was introduced in 2016, that it discriminated against foreign workers and breached several international tax agreements," she said.

"It also damaged Australia's reputation as a working holiday destination."

​Visitors from the eight countries account for approximately 50 per cent of all visitors who come to Australia on 417 or 462 working holiday visas, according to Taxback.com.

​How the tax came into being

From the moment the tax was proposed it caused widespread anger and confusion among farmers and the tourism industry.

It was made worse by 18 months of unedifying politics on all sides, as a series of deals among the major parties and independents caused further anxiety in regional Australia about where the rate would end up.

Without talking to the industries that would be most affected and without modelling the economic impact of its decision, the 2015 budget announced the Government's intention to crack down.

Four months later, the Coalition Government announced a compromise, to lower the rate to 19 per cent, but to tax backpackers 95 per cent on their superannuation.

At one point, Labor and Tasmanian independent senator Jacqui Lambie each moved an amendment to set backpacker tax rates at 10.5 per cent, in line with New Zealand.

In the end, the backpacker tax passed the Senate after the Greens agreed to a deal to support the Coalition's preferred 15 per cent backpacker tax rate in exchange for significant concessions from the Government.

FOR FULL STORY PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW:
www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2019-10-30/federal-court-rules-backpacker-tax-invalid/11653928

By Natasya Salim and Alan WeedonUpdated Tue at 10:26am

The story has been told in various ways before.
​
A new migrant to Australia — already well-qualified with experience in prestigious jobs at home — has to contend with low-paying, insecure work as their qualifications do not exactly match up with Australian standards.
For those who have experienced this, it is a blunt reality, considering years of study and financial investment have at first not appeared to pay dividends.
But for a contingent of other migrants, the opportunity to throw off the shackles of white-collar work — and its high-pressure environment — is something to be relished.
Edwin and Rita Kusuma are some of these people.
They are a married couple from Indonesia who swapped office work for bus driving when they moved to Sydney from Jakarta.

​

Previously, Mr Kusuma worked as an IT officer at Bank Indonesia for eight years, while Ms Kusuma was the head of finance for an electricity distribution company.

​For Ms Kusuma, earning a living as one of Sydney's bus drivers gave her the freedom a white-collar job did not — this work was flexible, and gave her more opportunities to spend time with family.

She told the ABC's Indonesian service bus driving meant she did not have to manage piling office assignments, or was expected to work overtime without pay.

"[These] things make us think work is fun," Ms Kusuma said.

​But when news of her career switch in Australia reached home, things did not exactly go well with her family in Jakarta.
Some family members were "disparaging" about her choice, she says, with one relative alleging she had brought "embarrassment" to her ancestors.

She added that because having a high-profile job title in Indonesia gave people pride, job prestige becomes something to strive for.


FOR FULL STORY CLICK THE LINK BELOW:
www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-29/australian-migrants-managing-career-switches-and-familial-shame/11594532

A Malaysian national who is facing deportation after his employer sold the business says Australia’s employer-sponsored visa system puts “too much power” in the hands of sponsoring employers.

37-year-old Samuel Lau, who came to Australia ten years ago as an international student, was refused a skilled visa under the regional sponsored migration scheme after the restaurant that sponsored him to work as a commercial cook was sold off before a decision could be made on his visa application.
​
“I worked at this restaurant for a year and worked very hard in this job. I was hoping to finally get my permanent residency but then the owner just decided to sell the business because she said she was going through a divorce,” Mr Lau said.

He has been given until 25th October to leave Australia after the Department of Home Affairs decided that his request for a ministerial intervention would not be referred to the Immigration Minister. But Mr Lau is now calling on Minister David Coleman through an online petition to let him stay in the country.

“I am saying that I did everything right and these circumstances that led to my visa refusal were beyond my control.

I have given ten years of my life to Australia – my prime, and contributed to the society without ever taking anything from the country,” he says.

​But Mr Lau also rues that the time taken to process his visa application was “too long” and the resultant uncertainty puts sponsored visa applicants in a position where they are at the employer's mercy. 

“I submitted my application in June 2016 and the decision came out in April 2018. During this period, they [the employer] are the masters of your fate. In my case, I begged my employer to wait for just a couple of months before selling the business, but it seemed my life just didn’t matter to her,” he said.

The RSMS visa will be closed for new applicants in November. According to information published on the Department of Home Affairs website, the current processing time for this visa is 20-24 months.

​SBS Punjabi previously reported the story of a Chinese chef who found herself in this position, not once but twice, working at high profile restaurants.

Mira Chen was a chef at Jamie’s Italian in Sydney. She moved to Perth and was sponsored to work there as a chef. But the company that owned the business went into voluntary administration before her visa application could be decided.

“The processing time for an RSMS visa was 13 months at that time and it had been just about six months since I started my job. My visa application was refused by the Immigration Department because my job wasn’t certain,” she said.

While she continued to work at the Perth restaurant, the Australian chain was bought back by Jamie's Italian Restaurant Group in 2017 and her new employer once again sponsored Ms Chen’s RSMS visa to work at the company’s restaurant in Canberra.

After Ms Chen moved to Canberra with her husband and started working at there, Jamie’s Italian shut down its Canberra restaurant in April last year -  once again before her visa application could be decided.
​
“I failed in my visa attempt twice in the same business where I had been working for three years, in three different cities, from east to west, and now I have ended up with a situation that I am forced to leave the country without any entitlements paid,” she rued.

FOR FULL STORY PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW:
www.sbs.com.au/language/english/they-control-our-fate-migrant-faces-deportation-after-employer-sponsorship-fails

The Morrison government has rejected claims it is privatising the visa processing system, downplaying fears over its outsourcing push.

UPDATEDUPDATED 20 HOURS AGO
BY TOM STAYNER

The Federal government’s steps to outsource visa processing have been met with opposition, with Labor against privatisation of the system.

Labor MP Andrew Giles led a motion in Parliament on Monday, sparking political division over whether the outsourcing really does mean the system is being privatised.
​
The Morrison government has strongly rejected any suggestions this is taking place as part of an attempt to ‘modernise’ the visa processing system.

But Labor MPs are warning against its open tender for private companies, in an attempted scare campaign towards the government’s outsourcing plan.

“Time is running out to stop the Morrison government from privatising Australia’s visa processing system,” Labor MP Andrew Giles told Parliament on Monday.
​
“If the Prime Minister gets his way he’ll outsource $1 billion of visa processing to the highest bidder.”

​A spokesperson for the Morrison government told SBS News it is “not privatising visa decision making”.

“The Department of Home Affairs is conducting a tender process for a new workflow tool,” the spokesperson said.

“[But] the Government will always remain responsible and accountable … for all decision making.

"We will determine visa rules and how decisions are made."

 The opposition is accusing the Morrison government of making the system vulnerable to "profiteering" and manipulation from major companies through its outsourcing plan.

“If you are so worried about profiteering, you would not be privatising Australia’s visa processing system,” Mr Giles said.

“Outsourcing our visa system will lead to significant job losses, increased costs of visas, greater risk of worker exploitation, data security issues, and will make protecting our national security more difficult."
​
The tender over the plan is expected to be finalised this month.

Abul Rizvi is a former senior immigration official, who oversaw the permanent migration program from 1995 to 2007.

He is worried any outsourcing of the system through private companies is fraught with risk.

"As I understand it the department will go through a progressive series of tenders, where they will outsource various proportions of the visa system," he told SBS News.

“I think going down that path is very, very dangerous."
​
“The range of ways in which this can create problems is enormous.”

FOR COMPLETE STORY CLICK THE LINK BELOW:
www.sbs.com.au/news/fears-government-s-outsourcing-of-visa-processing-just-a-privatisation-smokescreen

By business reporter Andrew Robertson Posted 24 Aug 2019, 3:08am

Cochlear, Resmed, Atlassian, Freelancer, CSL, WiseTech Global, Rode Microphones, and the list goes on. All Australian, and all world leaders in their field.

Key points:

• Only one of Australia's top-five listed companies could be considered a 'tech' firm, biotech giant CSL
• WiseTech's CEO said Australia's tech sector could employ another 200,000 people overnight they had the required skills
• Tech firms say they are having to bring in skilled workers from overseas, but it is difficult due to immigration red tape

Australia punches well above its weight in the hi-tech space, but those running the companies say staying here is becoming increasingly difficult.

"The fundamental issue is we're short, and it's probably short about 200,000 people across the whole of the marketplace in Australia," WiseTech Global CEO Richard White told the ABC.

Sydney-based WiseTech Global is an international provider of software solutions for the logistics industry.

It is a $10 billion company, but Mr White said an inability to get suitably qualified staff is one of his biggest problems.
"We employ, just in our Sydney office, about 15 people a month," he said.

"We would be able to double that easily without any real constraint on the business."

But WiseTech cannot do so, he said, because in Australia at least, the right people do not exist.

Another world-leading Australian hi-tech company is Rode Microphones.

Nearly all its products are sold overseas and founder Peter Freedman laments the same problem as WiseTech Global — Australia is not producing the people he needs.
​
"We're doing things that nobody else does in this country," Mr Freedman told the ABC.

​But these business managers say getting workers here from overseas is not easy because of Government red tape and visa restrictions.

Mr Freedman said it is short-sighted.

"I need scientists, engineers, toolmakers, machinists," he said.
​
"That's what I need, and they can then train the next generation of Australians, and they of course are the next generation of Australians anyway, their children."

​ASX still dominated by old industries

​The stock market gives a big clue as to why Australia has such a shortage of people for hi-tech industries.
​
The top five companies in Australia are BHP, the Commonwealth Bank, Rio Tinto, CSL and Westpac — however, only CSL could be conventionally regarded as hi-tech.

​In the United States, the top five companies are all hi-tech: Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Alphabet (which owns Google) and Facebook.

"There needs to be a message to parents and teachers and those in the education system that we absolutely have to start focusing on technology careers as a fundamental thing," Mr White said.

Like Mr Freedman at Rode Microphones, Mr White is also turning overseas to fill the gaps in his business.

However, because software does not depend on location, Australia is often missing out altogether.

"If we can't grow fast enough in Australia, then we can add people in our US office, or in our Netherlands office, or in our UK office, or in our South African office," he explained.

The university sector agrees there is a shortfall.
​
The Australian Council of Deans for Information and Computer Technology represents the heads of all the schools at universities teaching those subjects.

​It told the ABC around 40,000 students are enrolled in those fields, but adds, "we need to do more to encourage and support our next generations to engage with information and computer technologies."

The Council of Deans said it was trying hard to listen to industry, but changes to the skills required were so rapid, it was finding it hard to keep up.

"There's no limit to the amount of good people that can be used in manufacturing if they have skill, and that skill will come from immigration and more education," Mr Freedman said.

The latest unemployment rate of 5.2 per cent equates to around 700,000 people out of work.
​
If the 200,000 potential vacancies in the high-tech sector were filled with local workers, the jobless rate would plunge below 4 per cent and the biggest issue holding back the Australian economy, which is stagnant wages growth, would almost certainly disappear.

​Mr White predicts what he calls a "human tragedy" of rising unemployment if the Australian economy cannot make the transition.

"I don't think everybody has to be a rocket scientist, we're not all going to be Sheldon out of Big Bang Theory," he said.

"But what we want to be is people who are talented, value-creating, knowledgeable workers who can make a difference to our society and to the country."

Mr Freedman is a little blunter.

"As I said once to a prime minister: get out of my way and let us do the decision making."

STORY CREDIT TO THE LINK BELOW:
www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-24/jobs-are-waiting-to-be-created-but-skilled-workers-lacking/11442270

EXCLUSIVE BY POLITICAL REPORTER JACKSON GOTHE-SNAPEUPDATED FRI 23 AUG 2019, 10:03 AM AEST

​Communities in regions desperate for population growth may be the ones to feel the biggest impact.

The regional and global talent visas represent almost 30,000 permanent visas in the Department of Home Affairs' planning levels.

But according to two prominent migration experts — both former immigration officials — the Government might struggle to get to even 20,000 visa grants within these schemes.

John Hourigan, the national president of the Migration Institute of Australia, said the employer-sponsored stream in the regional visa posed the biggest concern.

"The program is currently set for 9,000; we probably believe they'd be lucky to get to 2,000 out of those places."

He said the global talent scheme, set for 5,000 places, was also "very adventurous", leaving permanent visa grants likely to fall significantly short of the planning level.
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Migration researcher Henry Sherrell said given significant changes to policy, "it will be difficult" to fill 160,000 places.

​"More likely is a figure somewhere between 140,000 and 150,000, representing a return to the level last seen about 15 years ago," he said.

The regional visas won't be available until November, and Mr Sherrell said it would take time to attract people, process applications and grant visas.

"Traditionally, it takes more than a single financial year to get a new visa off the ground and induce applications," he said.

"It takes time for people to understand the rules and for the Department of Home Affairs to have processes in place to assess applications."
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Impact from permanent declineMr Sherrell said a decline in permanent visas would play an important role over the long-term.

"While this may not have an immediate short-term effect on the actual rate of migration to and from Australia, history tells us it will play an important role over the longer term, as people who are unable to transition from a temporary to a permanent visa consider leaving Australia instead," he said.

Mr Hourigan predicted there would be an impact on local communities for a shortfall in regional visas.
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"The impact on employers not being able to fill those key positions has a flow on effect to the local economy," he said.

"If you use the 'multiplier' effect, if someone gets $50,000 that $50,000 is going to flow through the local community several times.

"If they can't fill it, that effect will not occur, which means other businesses may not be able to employ other people."

Immigration Minister David Coleman said the Government outlined its plans in March this year.

"The plan outlines the allocations within each category, with an overall cap of 160,000," he said.

"Key focuses of this year's program include an increased emphasis on regional migration and identifying exceptionally skilled migrants through the global talent programs."

The Government may be able to transition people into the new regional visas by converting some of its backlog of applications for older visa classes.

Permanent decline, temporary increase
Historically, immigration officials set planning levels for permanent visas that acted as targets in recognition of the need for migrants.

However, under the Coalition planning levels have become "ceilings". The annual report for the Immigration Department, which now sits within the Home Affairs Department, added the qualification that "planning levels are ceilings, not targets" to its glossary in 2014-15.

The planning level was set at 190,000 for seven years before it was capped at 160,000 for the current year.

The permanent intake has declined from approximately 190,000 in 2015-16, to 184,000 the following year, to 162,000 the year after.

If Mr Hourigan and Mr Sherrell are accurate, the figure for 2019-10 could be 150,000 or even lower.

Over the same period temporary migration, driven mostly by international students, has swelled Australia's official population figures.

Net overseas migration — which includes temporary visa holders — is predicted to grow by more than 10,000 between 2018 and 2019 to approximately 270,000.

POSTED FRI 23 AUG 2019, 12:34 AM AEST​

STORY CREDIT TO THE LINK BELOW:
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