14 May 2008

Industry bodies welcome Australia's skilled immigration expansion

Industry organisations have welcomed the Australian government's moves to increase the number of people entering the country on a skilled visa . Both the Business Council of Australia (BCA) and the Australian Industry Group (AIG) have encouraged the move made yesterday to increase the number of skilled places by 31,000.

Heather Ridout, the chief executive of the AIG, said the group particularly welcomed the new skills and education initiatives, which included the expanded immigration programme. She added that with yesterday’s announcement, the government has backed up the immigration its promises made ahead of the budget, which was announced yesterday.

Greg Gailey, the president of the BCA, said: "The budget maps out a clear agenda for sustaining strong growth, including through a further lift in skilled immigration, but importantly also lays the foundations for ensuring that growth today does not compromise future economic or social prosperity." He added that the budget had made an "important down payment" on the future of the country, which is aimed at facing new domestic and global challenges.

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.