NEWS » Australia

Spam Emails – not from the Department of Immigration

admin — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 12:58:39 +0000

We have heard reports that individuals and colleagues are receiving emails purporting to be from the Department of Immigration DIAC.

These emails have been sent from the following address:

“diac.Contact.Centre.noreply@immi.gov.au”

We have been advised that these are NOT from the Department and should not be opened. The emails may contain malicious code and should be deleted.

If you have received this kind of email, please do let the DIAC know.

WARNING: Dangerous Emails

Following an alert from some MIA Members that they have received suspicious emails purporting to be from DIAC, the Department has now has advised the Institute that emails from “diac.Contact.Centre.noreply@immi.gov.au” do not come from DIAC and that this is NOT a valid departmental email address.

The Department advises any agent who receives an email from this address to NOT open it and toIMMEDIATELY DELETE it as it may contain malicious code.

It would assist the Department’s technical teams to know any email addresses that are the recipients of this email “from” DIAC. MIA Members can advise the Institute if they would like their email addresses passed on to DIAC.

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Australia – It’s Still the Best Place on Earth

admin — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 16:35:28 +0000

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has published the results of its annual survey of the best cities to live in on Earth.

And once again, Australia has outranked any other country, in having 3 of its main cities rank in the top ten of all cities: This year Melbourne has taken the top spot, along with Vienna. Out of a total of 140 cities, Adelaide comes in 5th, three places up from last year, and Perth comes in 9th.

Click here for more information:

http://www.citymayors.com/environment/eiu_bestcities.html

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Australia in the 21st Century – What the latest census reveals

admin — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 15:26:45 +0000

Did you know that:

Population 21,507,717. Male 10,634,013. Female 10,873,704.

Median age 37

Families 5.68 million. Average children per family 1.9.

All private dwellings 9.11m. Average people per household 2.6.

Median weekly household income $1234.

Median monthly mortgage repayment $1800. Median weekly rent $285.

Average motor vehicles per dwelling 1.7.

Registered marriage 7,647,042 or 49.2%.

33,714 same-sex couples. 4.6 million heterosexual couples.

De facto marriage 1,476,369 or 9.5%.

Not married 6,413,399 or 41.3%.

Top five countries of birth — Australia, England, New Zealand, China, India.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/snapshot-of-a-nation-what-the-census-reveals-about-us-20120621-20po5.html#ixzz1yXHQ6gB4

The population of Australia is 21,507,717, and that almost exactly a half of the population is male, and female.

The median age in Australia is 37.

On average an Australian family has 1.9 children.

The median weekly household income is $1234.

The median monthly mortgage repayment is $1800 while the median weekly rent is $285.

And that the top five countries of birth are:
Australia
England
New Zealand
China
India

These are just some of the interesting statistics based on the latest census record in Australia.

More interesting Australian census details can be found here.

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Vetassess – Practical Assessments for Trades – Schedule for the UK

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:50:10 +0000

VETASSESS has announced that, subject to demand, it will be conducting the following practical assessment events on the 25 February 2012 and 28 April 2012 in College of North West London, London, UK.

Please note that these are the last dates which may be available before changes to the skilled migration programme on 1 July:

25 February 2012 – Assessments for the following trades:

Bricklayer
Carpenter and Joiner
Carpenter
Electrician (General)
Plumber (General)
Airconditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic
Diesel Motor Mechanic (Heavy Vehicle Road Transport)
Motor Mechanic (Light Vehicle)
Sheetmetal Trades Worker
Welder (First Class)

28 April 2012 – Assessments for the following trades:
Bricklayer
Carpenter and Joiner
Carpenter
Electrician (General)
Plumber (General)
Airconditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic
Diesel Motor Mechanic (Heavy Vehicle Road Transport)
Motor Mechanic (Light Vehicle)
Welder (First Class)

These practical assessments form the second part of a two stage skills assessment process for visa applicants in the above occupations.

If you are considering applying fro a visa before 1 July, and on the basis of skills in the above occupations, you should get your applications for a skills assessment in as soon as possible to avoid missing out an assessment on the above dates.

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Wanted Down Under

admin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:49:14 +0000

We are very happy for our clients Mr and Mrs Stitt who will be featured on the Wanted Down Under series on the 9th of January (Episode 6). Mr & Mrs Still were guided in the visa process by Lauren and successfully obtained their visas in June last year.

We wish them the best of luck in Australia.

Click here for more information about the series:

Wanted Down Under

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Skills Shortages In Australia Mean That More Companies Will Be Looking to Recruit From Overseas

admin — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:10:04 +0000

According to the Australian Institute of Management there is an acute shortage of skilled Australian workers in the construction, engineering, marketing and sales sectors. This means that Australian employers will be likely to step up their recruitment of overseas skilled workers.

The shortages are due to the continuing growth of the Australian economy, the continued growth of the mining sector, but also due to the failure of the education system in ensuring that school leavers are properly trained via apprenticeship schemes.

Click here for the full article and here for more information from Reuters.

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Australian Skilled Occupation Lists to Change on 1 July

admin — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:50:52 +0000

The Australian Department of Immigration has announced that the following changes will be made to the skilled occupations list (SOL) on 1 July:

These occupations will be removed from the SOL schedule 3 as of July 1st 2011:

251411 Optometrist
251412 Orthoptist
324111 Panel Beater
324311 Vehicle Painter

These occupations will be added to the list on 1 July:

234914 Medical Physicist
251311 Environmental Health Officer
251312 Occupational Health and Safety Adviser
251511 Hospital Pharmacists
251513 Retail Pharmacists
271111 Barrister
271311 Solicitor
323211 Fitter (General)
323212 Fitter and Turner
323213 Fitter-Welder
323214 Metal Machinist (First Class)
399111 Boat Builder and Repairer
399112 Shipwright

So what does this mean?

If you were planning to apply for a skilled visa on the basis of the SOL Schedule 3 list only, and not on the basis of state or employer sponsorship, and your occupation will be removed off the list on 1 July, you may no longer be eligible to apply for a Skilled Independent visa and may have to rely on either a state sponsorship or sponsorship from an employer.

You must therefore apply for your skilled visa prior to 1 July (Australian time) to avoid being caught out by these changes.

If, on the other hand, your occupation will now be added to the SOL, then you may be eligible for a skilled independent visa rather than having to rely on state or employer sponsorship. We would therefore advise that you re-assess your options accordingly.

For further information about this legislative change please click here.

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New Australian Skilled Visa Points Test – coming on 1 July 2011

admin — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 10:44:45 +0000

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WILL BE UPDATED REGULARLY AS FURTHER INFORMATION COMES TO HAND.

PLEASE RE-LOAD YOUR PAGE TO ENSURE THAT YOU ARE ACCESSING THE MOST UP TO DATE INFORMATION:

The Australian Government has announced a significant overhaul of its skilled visa points system which will apply to all skilled visa applicants from 1 July 2011. From 1 July 2011 all skilled visa applications will be awarded points as follows:

Points for Age

25 points = applicants aged 18 to 24
30 points = applicants aged 25 to 32
25 points = applicants aged 33 to 39
15 points = applicants aged 40 to 44
0 points = applicants aged 45 to 49

Points for English Language Ability

10 points = applicants with Proficient English (7 in each of the 4 bands of the IELTS)
20 points = applicants with Superior English (8 in each of the 4 bands of IELTS).

Points for Overseas Work Experience

Points are available for overseas work experience, so long as the work experience is in the applicant’s nominated occupation, or closely related occupation.

5 points = 3 of the last 5 years
10 points = 5 of the last 7 years
15 points = 8 of the last 10 years

Points Recognised Qualifications (Australian or Overseas)

5 points = for applicants who complete a qualification taking 2 years of study in Australia
5 points = for 2 years of study in a regional or low population growth area
10 points = for applicants with an Australian AQF III or higher, completed in Australia OR for applicants who have completed a recognised apprenticeship overseas.
15 points = for applicants with a recognised Bachelor degree in Australia or overseas.
20 points = for applicants with a PhD.

Points for Australian Work Experience

Points will be available for work experience in Australia, so long as the work experience is in the applicants’ nominated occupation, or closely related occupation.

5 points = 1 of the last 2 years
10 points = 3 of the last 5 years
15 points = 5 of the last 7 years

Points for Sponsorship by State/Territory Government

5 points = for sponsorship to live in a metropolitan area
10 points = for sponsorship to live in a regional area

Points for Sponsorship by Family

5 points = for sponsorship to live in a regional area

Points for Partner Skills

5 points = for partner skills

Points for Designated Language (Second Language)

5 points = for applicants who have completed a degree level qualification taught in a designated language; or who are NAATI-accredited translators or interpreters in a designated language

Points for Completing a Professional Year in Australia

5 points = for applicants who have completed a professional year in Australia. This is typically undertaken by international students after completion of their studies in Australia. Current occupations where this is possible include Information Technology, Accounting and Engineering.

The new POINTS THRESHOLD WILL BE SET AT 65 POINTS for all visa applicants.

For detailed information about the changes please visit the Department’s Website and read the Department’s fact sheet.

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State Sponsorship Lists – Update – South Australia

admin — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 09:19:35 +0000

Immigration South Australia have advised that the following occupations will be removed from the current Interim Occupations List and/or will not be included in the State Sponsored Migration List (SSML) when they are (finally) released:

Civil Engineer
Software Engineer
Developer Programmer
ICT Business Analyst
Systems Analyst
Production or Plant Engineer.

For more information, and to access the full interim South Australia list, please follow this link: South Australia Interim Sponsorship List

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Salaries of Tradesmen Sky Rocket in Canberra

admin — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 10:32:22 +0000

Due to a severe shortage of skilled workers, tradesmen in Canberra (the Australian Capital Territory) are being paid up to AUD$160,000 a year. Which is more than double the salary in other Australian States.

But Canberra is not alone, although its unemployment rate of 3% is the lowest in the country, there are shortages of skileld tradesmen throughout Australia, and thousands of vacancies waiting to be filled.

This means that large projects, such as the proposed Australia wide broadband network, may have to be put on hold until enough skilled workers are recruited to udnertake the work that needs to completed.

Click here for more details.

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