Apart from the migration process, what else should employers consider in sponsoring people from overseas?

Apart from the visa processing aspects of nominating a person to enter South Australia, employers are encouraged to consider the many issues which relate to the overall settlement of their new overseas worker, including their immediate family.

As an employer, it is important that you secure and retain the skills that you need after perhaps a significant amount of cost and effort.  To that end it is advisable that you also consider the settlement aspects of the entire family, along with the principal worker that you have nominated.

If the entire family's needs are not considered, there is potential for partners and children to become disenchanted which could result in the family returning to their home country.  Should this occur, the employer would lose their much sought after recruit.

There are a number of issues that employers may wish to consider in the movement of a family unit from overseas into Australia, including:

• Relocation costs - should the employer meet some, all or none of these costs?  
• Meeting at the airport - who will meet the new employee and their family at the airport? 
• Accommodation - who will help find accommodation for the new employer?
• Public/Private Health Cover - is the company to offer Health Cover?  Is the employer obliged to offer such cover?
• Partner's employment - does your new employee's partner want to work in South Australia?  If yes, is there likelihood that employment in their occupation will be available?
• Schooling - are their children of school age in the family? If yes, who can provide assistance with finding appropriate schooling on arrival?
• Transportation - consider how the new family will transport themselves around.  Do they need guidance about where to purchase/rent a vehicle?

These are just some issues that a sponsoring employer may wish to consider in addition to the recruitment and visa aspects of gaining a person from overseas.  If your company does not have the in-house capacity to deal with these issues, you may consider engaging a professional relocation company to achieve the best outcome.  Details of relocation companies in South Australia may be found in the yellow pages at this link .

Where to find information about settling in Australia

DIAC has produced a series of Beginning a Life in Australia booklets which provide useful settlement information for prospective and newly arrived migrants. These booklets contain a wealth of information about life in Australia, including: Housing, Transport, Education, Child care and Health.

Employers may find this information helpful for their new employee and their families, please click here .

Does my prospective employee have the right to work in Australia?

If you have been the actual sponsor of a person under either the temporary or permanent visa arrangements outlined above, you will be aware of the visa category of your new employee, the associated work rights as well as your obligations as the sponsor.

In the day to day operation of your company, it is likely that you will employ new staff.  Making sure that a prospective employee has the legal authority to work makes good business sense. 

In today's competitive market, businesses cannot afford the disruption and loss of investment that would be caused by the sudden removal of a member of staff.  This is highly likely to occur if you do not check the work rights of your new employees, and you employ someone from overseas who does not have the authority to work.

As a part of your pre-employment checks, it is highly recommended that employers check the visa status of any new employee to ensure that they have the right to work.  This can be easily done by an employer through the Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) system which is a web-based service that enables companies to perform these checks quickly, easily and free of charge.  For full details, please click here . 

Employers should also know that from August 2007 it has been an offence under the Migration Act 1958 for a person to knowingly or recklessly allow an illegal worker to work or refer an illegal worker for work with another company. Individuals who are convicted of these offences face fines of up to $13 200 and two years imprisonment while companies face fines of up to $66 000 per illegal worker.   

What is the role of the South Australian Government?

The Australian Government, in consultation with state and territory governments and regional development authorities introduced a range of State Specific and Regional Migration (SSRM) initiatives designed to help state and territory governments to:

• address skill shortages that may exist in their jurisdiction
• attract overseas business people to establish new or joint ventures in their regions
• encourage a more balanced settlement of Australia's skilled migrant intake.

These initiatives include flexible criteria which recognise the special circumstances of rural and regional areas. The entire State of South Australia, including the Adelaide metropolitan area, is covered under the SSRM definition. They aim to attract young, skilled, English speaking migrants to areas of Australia where they are most needed. They receive priority processing and rely on sponsorship by regional employers, state and territory governments or family members. This enables state and territory governments and regional employers to influence the number and profile of skilled migrants settling in their areas in line with their skill needs and development objectives.

The South Australian Government is a supporter of the SSRM and actively encourages skilled workers to migrate to this State. 

To link to the South Australian Government's Immigration website, please click here .

Registered Migration Agents

Employers are able to deal directly with DIAC and complete and lodge all employer sponsorship papers.  

Alternatively, should an employer seek assistance in completing application forms or in managing the complete sponsorship/application process, there are registered migration agents who offer such a service for a fee.   There are some companies who outsource their migration work to agents as they find it a more efficient use of their time to do so; that is a business decision that employers are able to make.

Employers wishing to find out more about migration agents, including how to locate an agent, may find the follow links helpful:

• Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) is the registration authority for migration agents giving advice in Australia.  Employers should note that overseas based agents are not currently required to be registered and so the quality of their work is not subject to these arrangements. To link to MARA, click  here.  
• The Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) is the professional body of migration agents. To link to the agents who are members of the MIA in South Australia, please click here.  

For more information

If you require further information, please contact the Outreach Officer for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, hosted by Business SA at migration@business-sa.com .