State Migration Plan released

Submitted 5/01/2011

www.southaustralia.biz

 

Federal Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Bowen, and South Australia's Minister for Industry and Trade, Tom Koutsantonis, have announced their respective governments have signed a new State Migration Plan to help meet South Australia's skilled workforce needs.

"State Migration Plans are part of the Australian Government's continued commitment to supporting the Australian economy by attracting skilled migrants who can positively contribute to our workforce," Mr Bowen says.

"The implementation of State Migration Plans will provide flexibility for state and territory governments to nominate skilled migrants in a broader range of occupations than are currently offered on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL)."

The South Australian State Migration Plan specifies the occupations that are available for state sponsorship in the ‘general skilled' category for 2010-11.

"This Plan recognises that there are specific occupations required by South Australia's industry sectors in order for the state to build a prosperous economy," Mr Koutsantonis says.

"With more than $80 billion of major projects underway or in the pipeline, and strong prospects of outperforming the national economy over the next decade, there is a demand for skills in South Australia that may not be met by our local workforce."

There are 258 occupations on the State Migration Plan, some of which will be unique to South Australia.

Under the plan, there will be an overall target for visa grants each year. For 2010-11, South Australian's quota is 4,890 visa grants, which includes primary applicants and their dependants.

South Australia's nominated occupations and associated eligibility criteria are listed on the
Immigration SA website http://www.migration.sa.gov.au/.