Online visas for skilled migrants & a regional migration incentive fund in Victoria

Skilled migrants – professionals and trades people, worldwide – can now apply online for State-sponsored visas to live and work in Victoria through the new State Government website www.LiveInVictoria.vic.gov.au.

Around 40,000 visitors a month are seeking info about the step-by-step process to apply for visa sponsorships through the Victorian Government’s Skilled Migration Program. A marked improvement over the old system of snail mail applications – and the only one in Australia – this service allows applicants to immediately test their eligibility for State Sponsorship.

Aiming to help address Victoria’s skill shortages in industries such as allied health and trade professions, the program was launched at Melbourne’s RMIT University to international students interested in migration as well as business, government and community organisations.

Victorian employers in industries with skill shortages can now go to the website and register their job vacancies, which will then be advertised free on the website to a worldwide job market.

Potential and recently-arrived migrants will be able to view the vacancies with job description details and submit their applications and curriculum vitas, through the website, direct to the employer.

The website caters for 3 groups:

(1)BUSINESS MIGRANTS are invited to establish a business and home in Victoria with services to support them and are given advice as to:
-How do I qualify?
-How do I apply?
-Sponsorship guidelines
-Fact sheets
-Opportunities
-Migrant stories

(2) EMPLOYERS, unable to recruit locally, are invited to employ skilled professionals who have immigrated to Victoria and advised how to:
-Find a migrant employee
-Advertise a job
-Employment process
-Services for employers

(3) SKILLED MIGRANTS are invited to immigrate to Victoria and enjoy world-class lifestyle and career opportunities and given advice on:

-How do I qualify?
-How do I apply?
-Fact sheets
-Migrant stories
-Skills in demand

THE REGIONAL MIGRATION INCENTIVE FUND is part of the new strategy. It will provide $3 million funding and assistance over 3 years to 11 regional communities to help them attract and settle skilled and business migrants, with their families, in regional Victoria.

THE SKILLED INDEPENDENT VISA introduced in July 2004, has already led to Government sponsorship of more than 550 skilled migrants to regional Victoria.