New report reveals immigration has helped boost Australia's workforce skills

A new report released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) last week shows that immigrants have boosted Australia's workforce skills. The report stated that two-thirds of all working age migrants possessed academic or trade qualifications in 2010–11.

According to the report, in 2011, 66 percent of all immigrants aged 15–64 years possessed academic qualifications or trade qualifications compared to 56 percent of those born in Australia.

The number of working age immigrants arriving in Australia with degree level qualifications has tripled, rising from 15 percent in the early 1990s to 44 percent in the last five years.

In general, it has been shown that workers with high level qualifications have more employment opportunities in Australia. The unemployment rate for individuals with a qualification in 2011 was at 3.4 percent, compared to a rate of 7.3 per cent for those without a qualification.

This increase could be the result of recent changes to the policies put in place by the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship. The immigration department has placed a strong emphasis on skills-based immigration in order to give Australian businesses the opportunity to gain access to overseas skilled workers to help with local labour shortages.

You may be able to apply under one of the points based Australian skilled based visas:

Australian Subclass 457 Visa

Individuals interested in immigrating to work in Australia may be eligible to apply under the popular Subclass 457 visa. In order to apply for Australia's 457 work visa individuals must:

• be sponsored by an eligible employer.
• have skills, qualifications, and experience which match the requirements of the position.
• demonstrate English language proficiency.
• If relevant meet the licensing requirements for the particular occupation.

Australian Subclass 175 Visa

Another option for workers looking to immigrated to Australia is the Subclass175 visa. This is visa allows you to live and work in Australia on a permanent basis. You are not required to have sponsorship to apply for this visa. In order to qualify, you must:

• be under 50 years of age.
• have competent English language skills.
• have the skills and qualifications that meet the Australian standard for an occupation on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL).

Australian Subclass 176 Visa

Similarly, the Subclass 176 visa is available to applicants who meet the same qualifications as the Subclass 175 visa but you must also be sponsored by an eligible relative living in Australia or obtain nomination from a participating State or Territory government agency.

If you would like to apply for an Australian visa, WorkPermit.com can help. WorkPermit.com is a specialist visa consultancy with over twenty years of experience dealing with visa applications. We can help with a wide range of visa applications to your country of choice. Please feel free to contact us for further details.