Employers should engage in more permanent immigration

Employers should encourage more Australian immigration, rather than relying on people on temporary Australian visas. According to Senator Chris Evans, the Immigration and Citizenship Minister, the schemes driven by employers, whereby they train Australian visa holders in an industry, need to be boosted, reports Business News.

Senator Evans told the website: "The willingness among WA employers to sponsor overseas workers is clearly there, but I want to see more employers sponsoring these workers as permanent skilled migrants." He said a possible solution to this was to give incentives to employers.

The Minister added that Western Australia needs a more tailored programme to solve skills shortages in the area, which should be created in close consultation with the state government. Senator Evans has also revealed today that states should be given more control over the sponsored immigration they engage in, so it is catered to the region's shortages, reports ABC.net. He added the system should allow states to employ for professions not on the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL).

Australia needs skilled workers: Anyone applying for an Australian visa should begin by completing the Australian Visa Bureau's online Australian visa application to see if they meet the Australian visa requirements.