Applicants interested in the Western Australia (WA) skilled immigration visas have a lot to look forward to: the WA government headed by Premier Mark McGowan recently announced that it will cut red tape in an attempt to fix WA’s skilled job crisis.
As WA’s unemployment rate dropped to an all-time low this August, many industries faced and publicly decried the lack of workers to meet an uptick in demand. Popular restaurants, short on servers, chefs and managers, even had to turn away hundreds of customers. In response to the increased demand outpacing the supply of labour, the McGowan government announced a slew of measures to attract more skilled workers and support local industries.
In an update to Western Australian skilled migration news, over 100 occupations have been added to the WA skilled occupation list, bringing the total to more than 300, increasing the list by nearly 60% compared to the previous year. This list includes occupations for workers in the healthcare, construction, manufacturing, and tourism industries. It even includes hairdressers, driving instructors, panel beaters and butchers.
Minimum visa requirements for foreign workers are set by the Federal Government of Australia which oversees the list of eligible occupations. Thereafter, states, such as WA select jobs on that list to include in their own State Nominated Migration Program, which provides applicants with bonuses in the points-based system used by the Department of Home Affairs to approve visas.
WA received 8,140 places for 2022–23, 4,950 more places than the previous year and the third largest allocation overall, after New South Wales and Victoria.
The McGowan government also complimented the substantial increase in the occupation list with changes to the State nomination criteria by providing temporary relaxations such as:
- Waiving the $200 application fee
- Reducing the requirement to have an employment contract from 12 months to six months
- Easing the requirements for applicants to demonstrate “sufficient funds” by doing away with the need to show $20,000 in their bank accounts
- Removing additional English requirements for professional and manager occupations
- Reducing work experience requirements for the 2022-23 program year to attract more skilled workers to WA
The WA government also announced it aims to allocate nearly $4 million on short-term programs which will help foreign students in developing hospitality and tourism skills. These measures further support the McGowan policies to attract skilled migrants such as its decision in July to launch the new Skilled Migrant Employment Register which connects skilled migrants to state jobs.
How can Indeedvisa help you with your applications?
IndeedVisa Migration agent is registered with MARA (Migration Agents Registration Authority) and has processed number of Skilled Migration cases successfully which include Subclass 189, Subclass 190, Subclass 491 from all over Australia, so we know exactly what it takes to get a visa from the Australian Immigration Department. With Indeedvisa, you will benefit from constant updates, guidance and access to an extensive knowledge base.
If you’re thinking of migrating to Western Australia and need further assistance understanding the visa requirements, please call us at +61 430 575 574 | (08) 6102 100 to schedule a consultation with one of our Registered Migration Agent Perth, or e-mail us at info@indeedvisa.com.au; we will be happy to assist you.