MALAYSIANS HIT AS AUSTRALIA TIGHTENS IMMMIGRATION POLICY

MELBOURNE, Feb 8 (Bernama) -- Malaysians will be among thousands of would-be
migrants to Australia who will have their applications cancelled as part of an
Australian Government overhaul of the skilled migration programme.

Australia's Immigration Minister Senator Chris Evans Monday announced that
Canberra was reforming the permanent skilled migration programme to make it
demand rather than supply driven.

Highly skilled workers such as healthcare, engineering and mining
professionals would be among those most sought after under the new scheme, the
minister said in a statement.

Evans said the major changes that he would be making included cancelling and
refunding the applications of 20,000 prospective migrants currently living
overseas and tightening the list of occupations in demand so that only highly
skilled migrants would be eligible for a visa.

The points test used to assess migrants will be reviewed to ensure that it
selects only the best and brightest, state and territory-specific migration
plans will be developed and certain occupations may be capped.

The new arrangements will give first priority to skilled migrants who have a
job lined up with an Australian employer.

For those who don't have a professional sponsor, the bar is being raised.

"There are plenty of occupations where there is an adequate supply of young
Australians coming through our schools...to take up new job opportunities,"
Evans said.

Meanwhile, government MP Kelvin Thomson said skilled migration needed to be
scaled back because it fueled runaway population growth, put downward pressure
on wages and conditions, and came at the expense of training young Australian
workers.

He said the programme had got out of control since the previous Howard
government started allowing international students to apply for permanent
residence onshore, instead of making them return to their home countries first.
-- BERNAMA


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