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UK demand for migration to Australia still as strong as ever

February 2nd, 2010

70% of people looking to migrate down under will still make the move within the next 3 years, despite longer visa processing times says Australia & New Zealand magazine.

A survey, carried out ahead of the magazine’s Down Under Live event in Leeds, reveals that despite increasing challenges, many thousands of Britons remain undeterred and committed to emigrating to Australia.

In 2008/09, more than 23,000 Brits made the move down under, attracted by better weather, jobs and the prospect of a new life. Weather, jobs and the current financial situation in the UK are all concerns, but it is the laid back life, with stunning scenery, long days of sunshine and the outdoor life that attracts most emigrants.

It is estimated that around 12,000 applications are received for Australian visas every year from the north of England, and jobs down under are in particular demand. Visitors to the show will be able to get a free visa assessment, advice on jobs and be able to listen to a wide ranging seminar programme that will give in depth advice and help on moving to Australia or New Zealand.

The Working Down Under area will have jobs in a variety of industries which candidates can apply for directly at the show, as well as get advice and tips on the quickest way to get their dream job.

The event will also feature a Travel Zone, featuring specialists in Antipodean travel and where visitors can get special deals on flights and tours down under.

John Weir, director for Down Under Live says “We know how many people dream of a new life in Australia so we expect our event in Leeds to be very busy indeed. Visitors to Down Under Live will get all the advice and help they need in securing their dream job and new life in the sun.”

Down Under Live! is the leading event for Australia & New Zealand and will be at the Royal Armouries in Leeds on the 27th & 28th March 2010. Further details are available on the website – www.downunderlive.co.uk . Tickets cost £10 in advance.

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Posted in Australia News, Emigration Seminars, Magazine, Migration News | No Comments »

Wanted down under! Australian MP pledges growth in migration

January 22nd, 2010

The leader of Australia’s Liberal Party, Tony Abbott, has said he wants to throw open the doors to more migrants to build a bigger population.

The UK provides more migrants to Australia than any other country, and Mr Abbott’s speech will be a huge boost to the many thousands of Britons who want jobs in Australia and a new life down under.

After predictions from the Australian Treasury that the population would rise from 22million to 36million by 2050, Mr Abbott said a bigger population built on 180,000 migrants a year could be achieved with infrastructure planning to make it sustainable.

“My instinct is to extend to as many people as possible the freedom and benefits of life in Australia,” he told an Australia Day dinner last night.

Mr Abbott went on to add that it would be a pity to stifle the population debate because of fear that cities already bursting at the seams could not cope.

“It’s easy to worry about the future environmental sustainability of Sydney and Melbourne, each with seven million people, when land and water resources are already under such pressure.”

But Mr Abbott said today’s population of about four million seemed completely unmanageable in the 1960s.”Immigration to Australia has been a success almost unparalleled in history.” he said.

If you want to be part of the Australian success story, why not visit Down Under Live! on the 30th & 31st January in London to find out how you can migrate to Australia.

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Posted in Australia News, Migration News | 1 Comment »

Australia rejects 20,000 migrants ; changes to affect UK skilled workers

February 7th, 2010

The Immigration Minister for Australia, Chris Evans, is set to announce a major overhaul of the immigration system that will prioritise doctors, nurses and school teachers.

The system that allocates potential migrants points based on their qualifications and skills will be restructured.

The changes are expected to target professionals with university degrees who are sponsored by employers and discourage self-nominating migrants such as cooks, hairdressers and accountants.

The new policy will axe the Migration Occupations on Demand List, which lists 106 occupations in demand, but not the Critical Skills List. Additionally, some 20,000 foreigners who applied to migrate to Australia before September 2007 will have their applications withdrawn and their $1500-$2000 applications fees refunded under the changes.

“The current points test puts an overseas student with a short-term vocational qualification gained in Australia ahead of a Harvard-educated environmental scientist,” Senator Evans said.

Details of the new system are not yet available, but it is likely (according to the Sydney Morning Herald) to give potential migrants more points if they are qualified in certain high-value professions and trades, went to a prestigious university, have more experience and display excellence in English.

The Immigration Minister will have the power to set the level of visas that will be awarded for any one occupation, and the states will be able to prioritise specific skilled migrants.

Noting that “Australia’s skilled migration program has been delivering self-nominated migrants from a narrow range of occupations with poor to moderate English language skills who struggle to find employment in their nominated occupation” Senator Evans seems determined to shift the immigration system from a supply led model (where there are a huge number of migrants clamouring to get into the country) to a demand – led one, where employers sponsor migrants in a particular occupation.

He is particularly keen to end a scenario whereby Australia’s hospitals need nurses and doctors and competition is fierce with other countries. Conversely there are 12,000 foreign cooks waiting to come to Australia. Under the existing system 40,000 unsponsored visas were issued to accountants over the past five years yet a shortage of accountants persists because most did not get work in the profession.

The changes will also affect overseas students – a $17 billion a year industry for Australia .If the job they are studying for is not on the new list, foreign students will not be able to apply for a permanent residency visa unless an employer will sponsor them.

Senator Evans says in recognition of the problems the changes could cause for colleges and existing overseas students, he is temporarily allowing them to spend 18 months in Australia after graduation to work and seek sponsorship from employers.

If you would like to find out more about the changes to Australia’s migration system or find out what your options are if you want to move down under, then come along to Down Under Live in Leeds on the 27th and 28th March 2010.

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Posted in Australia News, Jobs, Migration News, Study | 3 Comments »

Emergency care workers needed in Victoria, Australia

January 27th, 2010

An ageing workforce is contributing to a massive shortage of emergency care workers in the Australia state of Victoria, including ambulance drivers, paramedics, critical care co-ordinators, transport officers, retrieval physicians and station officers.

According to the Sunday Herald Sun newspaper, “Victoria’s ambulance service has been hit by a workforce exodus with more than two staff members a week quitting important metropolitan and rural posts.” In the past two years, at least 213 Ambulance Victoria staff members have left their positions. Additionally, reports the Sunday Herald Sun, “Paramedics are leaving the service in droves, with 161 quitting in Victoria and more than 100 in Melbourne between November 2007 and last October 31.”

To find out about job opportunities in the state of Victoria and across Australia, come to Down Under Live in London – on the 30th and 31st January 2010.

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Posted in Australia News, Jobs | No Comments »

Australian house prices to rise up to 10% in 2010

January 27th, 2010

Australian home prices will rise by as much as 10 percent this year as buyers try to trade up to better properties. So says a report from analysts APM, who predict a continuing trend which saw house prices across the country rise 12.1 percent in 2009, the biggest increase since 2003.

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Australian migration has stimulated economy down under

January 25th, 2010

According to the latest figures, one of the biggest contributors to Australia’s superior economic performance during the global recession was its 300,000 migrants from overseas.

Critics of the Australian government’s economic management have pointed out that Australia’s economic growth does not look nearly so remarkable if assessed on the basis of output per person, with the economy clearly in recession. The argument runs that migration concealed a much weaker performance by the Australian economy than the government maintains.

The government came under pressure from unions to wind back the migration program, with claims that migrants were taking “local” jobs. But now, research by  Australian National University shows that, counter-intuitively, migrants create more jobs during a downturn than during a boom. When migrants arrive, they have two effects on the labour market: they compete for the existing pool of jobs, while their demand for goods and services creates job vacancies elsewhere.

And other research has come from demographer Peter McDonald , who says the most important contribution of migrants during the downturn has been the flexibility they have contributed to the labour force.The number of applications for temporary work visas has dropped sharply, falling from a monthly average of between 5000 and 6000 a month up to December 2008 to between 2000 and 3000 from March 2009.

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Posted in Australia News, Migration News | No Comments »

Western Australia must recruit more skilled migrants

January 21st, 2010

The Small Business Development Corporation has added its voice to the growing clamour for Western Australia to recruit more skilled workers from overseas.

“It appears that many small business operators are unaware of the likelihood that skills shortages will soon be a major issue for Western Australia once again”, said SBDC Acting Managing Director Ms Jacky Finlayson.

According to a respected economic analyst, Peter Kenyon, professor of economic policy at Perth’s Curtin University, the state is set to revisit the skills shortages that were the downside of the mining boom that ended in late 2008.

‘‘WA is doing well in terms of population growth and labour supply is increasing … we are likely to see a little bit of amelioration in the absolute skills shortage that we saw towards the end of the boom in 2008,’’ Prof Kenyon said. ‘‘I think that will be short-lived.

‘‘I think before very long we will again see the job advertisements increasing for waiters and all sorts of staff in the windows of all the businesses around Perth.

‘‘Not enough time has passed for us to build the skills base to get over that shortage.’’

The government of Western Australia is coming to Down Under Live in London to recruit skilled workers to help tackle the state’s impending skill shortages.

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Posted in Australia News, Jobs, Migration News | 3 Comments »

Looking for a new job in finance? Then look to Australia..

January 21st, 2010

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the financial sector is the largest contributor to Australia’s national output, employment and economic growth, and as the demand for skilled workers increases, so they will be looking for migrants to fill the gaps.

Morgan McKinley, who publish an annual salary survey in Australia, surveyed the market, and found that the majority of employers said they would recruit over the coming six to twelve months. More than 50 per cent said they would be hiring, while 38 per cent said they might recruit.

If you are looking for a new financial position in Australia or New Zealand, then you can get the best job opportunities, advice and help moving at Down Under Live! which runs from the 30th to the 31st January 2010 at the Business Design Centre in London. Apply now for complimentary tickets on the Skilled Migration program.

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Posted in Australia News, Jobs, Migration News | No Comments »

Get To Australia Day comes to London

January 19th, 2010

Thousands of people looking to avoid another UK winter now have the chance to sample everything Australia can offer at The Business Design Centre, Islington on the 30th January.

The day will provide visitors with everything they need to know about travelling ,working, studying or living in one of the world’s most iconic destinations.

Over one million Britons travel down under every year, and Australia remains the number one destination for migrants from the UK. Australia is still in desperate need of migrants to fill critical skill shortages, and it is expected that this need will grow as an ageing population and state growth targets fuel more migration to Australia from the UK.

Visitors to the show can apply for jobs across a range of industries, including IT, healthcare, automotive, construction, engineering and finance, as well as talking to representatives of both the Australian government who will be on hand to offer relocation advice. Free visa assessments will be on offer to any visitor looking to relocate down under, and there will also be a detailed seminar programme running which will provide attendees with a complete overview of

There is also a Travel Zone, dedicated to anyone interested in backpacking, touring or travelling down under, which will save visitors time and money in booking the holiday of a lifetime to Australia. Exhibitors include Royal Brunei Airlines, YHA Australia and a host of travel specialists and there will also be presentations on travel down under in the Travel Theatre.

Another growing area of interest for students in the UK is studying down under – education is Australia’s third largest export – and the Learning Zone will provide information and advice to anyone looking to further their education down under.

John Weir, director for show organisers EDP, says “Australia is becoming more popular both as a tourist destination and an opportunity for families to have a new life in the sun. Visitors to the show will find a host of information, advice and money saving offers , guaranteed to make anyone want to Get To Australia. The success of TV programmes like Wanted Down Under shows that people want more information about Australia and on the 30th January they can visit the event to get all the information they need.”

More than 35 companies will be represented at the show, making a visit essential for anyone looking to travel or move to the other side of the world.

Get To Australia Day forms part of Down Under Live!, the leading show for Australia and New Zealand.

Down Under Live takes place on the 30th and 31st January 2010 at The Business Design Centre in Islington. Doors open at 10.30am. Tickets are available for as little as £5 each (under 16’s go free) from the website www.downunderlive.co.uk or by calling the ticket hotline on 01179 323586.

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Posted in Australia News, Emigration Seminars, Industry, Jobs, Magazine, Migration News, TV shows | No Comments »

How migration to Australia is pushing up capital house prices

January 18th, 2010

A report in this week’s Sunday Telegraph shows how Australian’s are being priced out of the property market by record numbers of highly paid skilled workers arriving from overseas.

According to the report, almost 115,000 permanent skilled visas were issued last year, compared with just over 40,000 in 1998-99 – an increase of 187 per cent. During the same period, the median house price rose 168 per cent, from $156,600 to $420,600.

Because skilled migrants command above-average salaries, argues The Telegraph, they pay above-average prices – thus helping them to drive up house prices in cities like Sydney.

“There’s no question the number of skilled migrants is a key factor in driving up prices,” John Edwards, of property monitor Residex, said.

“You need only two highly paid buyers at an auction to take the price of a property well above what any other party could afford to pay.”

Proof of this theory came when Mr Edwards plotted a chart of the increase in skilled migration alongside national house-price growth.

“It correlates at a rate of 98 per cent, which is almost unheard of,” he said.

“It even has an 18-month time lag, which is obviously the period between immigrants arriving in Australia, getting themselves settled and when they first purchase a property.”

Coinciding with the surge in skilled immigration, the median Australian property now costs 5.5 times the average household income, and about eight times income in Sydney.

That compares with a ratio of 2.5 times household income in the US and five times income in Britain ; and The Sunday Telegraph predicts that the median Sydney house price is forecast to hit $1 million by 2020.

To find out where the property bargains are in Australia, come to Down Under Live in London on the 30th and 31st January 2010.

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Posted in Australia News, Migration News | 1 Comment »

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