Skilled Migrant Workers In Construction And Mining in Australia

For anyone considering becoming a skilled migrant worker in Australia, the good news is that there are over 600 eligible occupations on the current Consolidated Skilled Occupations list (CSOL), many of which are in the construction, mining & engineering category.

The current skilled migration program allows for more than 128,550 permanent skilled visas to be granted this year. The program for the 2014-2015 year beginning in July is expected to be even bigger.

Today there are also nearly 100,000 temporary 457 skilled visa holders in Australia. 75% of the permanent employer nominated skilled visas granted in the last 6 months up to December 2013 went to 457 visa holders. Clearly the temporary visa sponsorship route continues to be a viable pathway to a permanent residence visa in Australia. Nearly 25 % of the 27,000 457 visas granted in the last six months went to UK and Irish passport holders. More than 15% of all the 457 visa grants went to construction and mining occupations.

All the main construction occupations are listed on the CSOL, including the popular, construction project manager and project co-ordinator, Carpenters, joiners, plumbers, electricians, painters, fitters, metal fabricators, and boilermakers. Mining and related occupations such as Driller, Mining production managers, mining engineer, civil engineer are also available. Check out the list at www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/pdf/csol.pdf

Visa Requirements

To be sponsored by an employer in a trade occupation, visa applicants need either trade qualifications such as UK NVQ 3, Irish Fetac level 6-7; or have a minimum of three years full time work experience in the trade. Work experience can be in any country and a mix of overseas and Australian work experience also counts. If relying on work experience only, good evidence of the years of paid work is needed. Providing detailed work references and past tax certificates or payslips will help to show evidence of your skills.

For UK and Irish passport holders a formal migration skills assessment is not needed for temporary sponsorship, but may be needed to apply for some of the permanent skilled visa options. Check out the requirements at www.innovation.gov.au/SKILLS/SKILLSASSESSMENT/TRADESRECOGNITIONAUSTRALIA/Pages/default.aspx

If you work in a licensed trade such as electrician or plumber, depending on the Australian State you plan to work in, you may need to obtain Australian licensing. Licensing rules differ from state to state and immigrations rules are different for each visa type so check carefully before applying for a visa. Professional occupations such as Construction Project Management or Engineering require applicants to have formal qualifications at Bachelor Degree level or higher. Depending on the occupation, five years of relevant experience may substitute for the formal qualification.

Mining Jobs In Regional Australia

“Regional Australia” is pretty much all of Australia except the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong or Melbourne. Regional Sponsorship may be an option if your employer actively and lawfully operates a business in regional Australia. This is a permanent residence visa. As part of the visa conditions you must agree to live and work in the regional area for the employer for the first two years of the visa.

Regional Sponsorship gets the highest priority processing of all the permanent skilled visas. Visa applicants need to have a relevant qualification or work experience. Trade applicants must have a pre visa application migration skills assessment, licensing is needed for some trades. Professional occupation applicants merely need relevant qualifications unless registration or licensing rules apply. See more at www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/187.aspx

Visa Options

Employers often take on skilled employees on the 457 temporary visas and then help the employee transition to permanent residence via the RSMS scheme or the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS). ENS is the alternative sponsorship option for non-regional employers. For Employers to access the ENS program, employers must be able to show that they are training Australian staff to the required Benchmarks set by immigration law. Here again a close assessment of the business training should be undertaken prior to applying for approval. Read more at www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/186.aspx

Other skilled visa options include the Independent Skilled 189 visa and the State nominated 190 skilled visa. These points tested options require a pre visa Expression of Interest application (EOI)

To make an EOI, you need to have at least 60 points and a migration skills assessment. The 190 visa options also need an application to a state government that is listing your occupation for sponsorship. Each state has its own sub list based on the CSOL and may have extra criteria to meet. On the upside a state nomination can give a sometimes critical 5 or 10 points towards meeting the minimum 60 point eligibility. Other points can be claimed based on age, qualifications, work experience and English language ability. Yes even native English speakers may need to sit an English test to get enough points to get to the visa application. See the English test at www.ielts.org/

These are complex applications that are expensive and take many months to process. Consider asking a registered migration agent for an assessment of your profile before committing to an application. You can find a registered migration agent at mia.org.au.

By John Mc Quaid, registered Migration Agent and Director at Arrive Australia Migration Services.
John, originally from Northern Ireland, migrated to Australia in the early 1990s and now lives permanently in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs.
www.arriveaustralia.com.au.

In the construction industry, a Master Carpenter is someone who has had many years of experience working as a Carpenter and similar professions. In most cases, they supervise other carpenters and distribute jobs on construction sites to other carpenters. Construction Managers, on the other hand, are in charge of the whole construction site. In other words, they may coordinate carpenter duties in addition to other crafts on the job site.

Carpenters are often employed in the following industries

Carpenters are often employed in the construction business, where they work for building firms or contractors on both commercial and residential projects, among other things. They may, however, operate as sole proprietors in the trade business, where they can use their expertise to produce intricate wooden structures with fine details.