Tweet
Brits rush at chance for Aussie life
The immigration laws are being tightened up. Unfortunately it will be harder for tradesmen to move here, we need more tradesmen. We don't need more lawyers or accountants or politicians (can we send our PM back to Wales?).
Pommy migrants
March 7, 2011, 10:14 am Andrew Drummond, AAP London Correspondent AAP
Upcoming changes to Australia's skilled immigration guidelines are prompting UK residents to lock in a life Down Under.
UK residents keen to escape the bleak weather and dark economy of home are scrambling to take advantage of a closing window of opportunity to emigrate to a wealthier and warmer Australia.
Long gone are the days when England's worst were banished Down Under as convicts for a life of servitude. Now only the intelligent, educated or wealthy are considered eligible for a long-term stint in the "lucky country".
Thousands of people flooded to a recent emigration expo at London's Lord's cricket ground staged by consultancy Emigrate 2, with crowds most interested in looking to call Australia home.
"People still want to go to Australia, more so than anywhere else. It is still the most popular in terms of long-haul shifts, that is, somewhere you need to get a visa for," Emigrate 2 managing director Mike Schwarz told AAP after February's expo.
But Australia's changing migration laws, due to be tightened again in July, mean a life of sun, sand, surf and opportunity will remain a dream for many foreigners.
A new points-based test is designed to ensure no single factor guarantees migration, the Australian government has said.
While the number of points required will reduce from 120 to 65, so too will the factors which build the total.
University graduates receive 15 points compared to skilled tradesmen who will receive 10 points according to the incoming scheme.
Tradespeople are likely to be hit the hardest, said Schwarz, adding that they may be the most needed in Australia to rebuild infrastructure, particularly following a string of natural disasters including the Queensland floods.
"A lot of infrastructure has been destroyed, in the recent Queensland floods for example, and I think if you look at the skills base in Australia they don't have the people to build roads and bridges, at least not in the short-term," he said.
Prospective Australians are now professionals - "IT specialists, accountants, medical, teachers, civil engineers," Schwarz said.
"Three or four years ago if you just waved a certificate from your employer saying `I'm a plumber', you were right. The entrance requirements are now much more professionally-driven.
"There is a window of opportunity at the moment. After July you may find you're not going to qualify for long-term entry into Australia."
There's no shortage of white-collar workers keen to flee Blighty, said Guy Bradley, managing director of London migration consultancy Visa Bureau, who also said that "tradies" have been forced to shift their focus to Canada.
"These days people are making the decision (to emigrate) more based on the economic side of things," Bradley told AAP.
"They are feeling the pinch of the economic climate and, now, are worried about the prospect of retrenchment. People are looking at a booming relative economy and good salary breaks in Australia."
Financially, however, Australia's strong dollar and high property prices mean that the island nation is out-of-reach for some would-be migrants.
"We talk in terms of push and pull factors," Schwarz said.
"Among the push factors might be weather - if the UK is coming out of a particularly bad winter it can be enough to encourage people to consider a shift.
"Also the UK's loutish behaviour in streets and petty crime might be pushing people out. But I'm not saying there is one particular reason.
"I would say that before Labour lost the last election, politics would have been enough to turn some people away, but it's a true case of the-grass-is-always-greener..."
He added that the strongest of pull factors was the perception of a "laid back attitude" in Australia.
Pommy migrants
March 7, 2011, 10:14 am Andrew Drummond, AAP London Correspondent AAP
Upcoming changes to Australia's skilled immigration guidelines are prompting UK residents to lock in a life Down Under.
UK residents keen to escape the bleak weather and dark economy of home are scrambling to take advantage of a closing window of opportunity to emigrate to a wealthier and warmer Australia.
Long gone are the days when England's worst were banished Down Under as convicts for a life of servitude. Now only the intelligent, educated or wealthy are considered eligible for a long-term stint in the "lucky country".
Thousands of people flooded to a recent emigration expo at London's Lord's cricket ground staged by consultancy Emigrate 2, with crowds most interested in looking to call Australia home.
"People still want to go to Australia, more so than anywhere else. It is still the most popular in terms of long-haul shifts, that is, somewhere you need to get a visa for," Emigrate 2 managing director Mike Schwarz told AAP after February's expo.
But Australia's changing migration laws, due to be tightened again in July, mean a life of sun, sand, surf and opportunity will remain a dream for many foreigners.
A new points-based test is designed to ensure no single factor guarantees migration, the Australian government has said.
While the number of points required will reduce from 120 to 65, so too will the factors which build the total.
University graduates receive 15 points compared to skilled tradesmen who will receive 10 points according to the incoming scheme.
Tradespeople are likely to be hit the hardest, said Schwarz, adding that they may be the most needed in Australia to rebuild infrastructure, particularly following a string of natural disasters including the Queensland floods.
"A lot of infrastructure has been destroyed, in the recent Queensland floods for example, and I think if you look at the skills base in Australia they don't have the people to build roads and bridges, at least not in the short-term," he said.
Prospective Australians are now professionals - "IT specialists, accountants, medical, teachers, civil engineers," Schwarz said.
"Three or four years ago if you just waved a certificate from your employer saying `I'm a plumber', you were right. The entrance requirements are now much more professionally-driven.
"There is a window of opportunity at the moment. After July you may find you're not going to qualify for long-term entry into Australia."
There's no shortage of white-collar workers keen to flee Blighty, said Guy Bradley, managing director of London migration consultancy Visa Bureau, who also said that "tradies" have been forced to shift their focus to Canada.
"These days people are making the decision (to emigrate) more based on the economic side of things," Bradley told AAP.
"They are feeling the pinch of the economic climate and, now, are worried about the prospect of retrenchment. People are looking at a booming relative economy and good salary breaks in Australia."
Financially, however, Australia's strong dollar and high property prices mean that the island nation is out-of-reach for some would-be migrants.
"We talk in terms of push and pull factors," Schwarz said.
"Among the push factors might be weather - if the UK is coming out of a particularly bad winter it can be enough to encourage people to consider a shift.
"Also the UK's loutish behaviour in streets and petty crime might be pushing people out. But I'm not saying there is one particular reason.
"I would say that before Labour lost the last election, politics would have been enough to turn some people away, but it's a true case of the-grass-is-always-greener..."
He added that the strongest of pull factors was the perception of a "laid back attitude" in Australia.
Comment