New South Australian State Migration Plan announced

The new state migration plan is designed to help meet South Australia’s skilled workforce needs by targeting needed occupations that are eligible for state sponsorship.

“State migration plans are part of the government's continued commitment to supporting the Australian economy by attracting skilled migrants who can positively contribute to our workforce,” Mr Bowen said.

“The implementation of state migration plans will provide flexibility for state and territory governments to nominate skilled migrants in a broader range of occupations than are currently offered on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL).”

The South Australia state migration plan specifies the occupations that are available for state sponsorship in the general skilled category for 2010–11.

There are 258 occupations on the state migration plan, some of which will be unique to South Australia.

Occupations on the list include; teachers, health professionals such as nurses, doctors and midwives, trades people and engineering professionals.
 
Mr Koutsantonis said this plan recognises that there are specific occupations required by South Australia’s industry sectors in order for the state to build a prosperous economy.

“With more than $80 billion of major projects underway or in the pipeline, and strong prospects of outperforming the national economy over the next decade, there is a demand for skills in South Australia that may not be met by our local workforce.”

Under the plan, there will be an overall target for Australia Visa grants each year. For 2010–11, South Australian’s quota is 4,890 visa grants, which includes primary applicants and their dependants.

State migration plans are agreements between individual states and territories and the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. The agreements specify an overall number of applicants that each state and territory can nominate, and what occupations they can nominate skilled migrants to work in.

They represent a change in emphasis within the national skilled migration program, giving a higher priority to state sponsored migrants. 

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The Australian Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people lodge their Australia visa application with Australia Immigration.