Migration

Introduction

Australia's population reached 20.3 million by the end of June 2005. Of the new permanent additions that numbered 167, 319, Australia gained 47, 171 skilled migrants but lost 29, 621 skilled people through permanent emigration. The problem is plain to see. Australia is one of the fastest growing countries in the world yet it does not have the necessary highly skilled workforce to not only maintain the current economic growth, but as at Jan 2006 it does not have the required workforce to support current requirements in areas such as Health, Engineering and Construction. In response to this current skilled labour crisis, the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) has launched a massive Migration Program to maximise the number of employer sponsored skilled migrants.

The problem

However in a paradoxical twist that sometimes makes a mockery of the skills shortage, it is now harder to gain entry in to Australia as a skilled migrant that it ever has been since the Migration program began in earnest in 1948. State and Federal programs often contradict each other and there is no central database that records skills shortages in relation to company, state or location. A skilled migrant can obtain a working visa and search for work in Northern New South Wales often with little or no success. Yet the same skills that may not be in demand in Ballina can often be the subject of a chronic shortage in Brisbane, yet there is no central agency to control the allocation of work or availability of migrants. As a result dynamic international business opportunity has arisen in the Business of Migration for the skilled workforce. However this business opportunity is not so simple and this can best be explained using Theiss, the Construction and Engineering Firm, as an example. Theiss is 400 skilled workers short for the entire Australian continent and as a result several State and Federal construction and engineering projects are now well behind time. Theiss charges XXX, an international recruitment company with the task of recruiting the required amount of skilled workers from overseas. Australia is an attractive location to live and the applications outnumber the vacancies by almost 200%. However XXX are recruitment agencies and not migration agents and therefore under DIMIA laws, XXX cannot offer migration advice. Only a migration agent can offer advice and process the necessary paperwork. This adds another speed bump in to an already lengthy process.

The business opportunity

Migration agents that not only understand the legal and technical nuances of the many different types of visa and the subsequent actions available to the migrant, but also are cognisant of the needs of the recruitment agencies, the federal and state requirements and the ultimate employers are in a good position to take financial advantage of the buoyant migration market. The average fee for a skilled migrant is usually around the $4000 figure and for a Ð''business' visa this can rise to $10, 000. This fee is purely for dealing with the necessary paperwork and further fees can be charged for advice regarding likelihood of success. However the migration agent that can take this product to the market is in a more advantageous position. Migration Ð''Expos' in UK, Ireland, Japan and South Africa have been tremendous successful in creating interest in migration to Australia. The agent who is able to operate in one or more of these markets and who is able to refer likely successful migrants to recruitment consultants of direct to