Australia Rolls Out Eased Migration Policy for Migrant Workers

In an apparent effort to address workforce gaps in regional areas, Australia has rolled out a five-year Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA), which eases restrictions for migrant workers with basic farm or hospitality skills to move in permanently on a work visa regardless if they have poor conversational English, provided they commit to staying in the region for at least three years.

Workers from 117 fields will be eligible to move to the Northern Territory to fill skills shortages and boost the state’s population, Daily Mail Australia has reported.

“Access to, and retention of, a suitably skilled workforce is a key issue for many employers and our government recognizes the need to support recruitment for local businesses,” Northern Territory Workforce Training Minister Selena Uibo was quoted by Daily Mail Australia as saying.

Uibo reportedly said employers will need to demonstrate they cannot find a local worker before they apply to sponsor a foreign employee.

“Every Territorian benefits when we attract more people to the Territory,” she said.

“More people means more jobs and a stronger economy, which means better schools, better hospitals and more police.”

Immigration Minister David Coleman said the changes to the immigration program better matches the needs of specific locations.

“We are looking closely at ways of filling employment gaps in regional areas,” the report also quoted him as saying.

(Source: filipinotimes.net)