The Western Australian government has amended its migration program to attract more skilled workers and foster industry growth.
As part of the initiative, the government will waive the $200 application fee for working migrants and cut the minimum employment contract from 12 to six months.
Aside from removing additional English requirements for professionals and managerial occupations, requirements for applications to demonstrate sufficient funds will also be reduced, along with the required minimum work experience.
Developed following Premier Mark McGowan’s recent visits to Europe, the United Kingdom, and Qatar, the temporary relaxation of migration criteria is slated to be implemented over the course of the next month.
The initiative is expected to cement WA’s position in the international and national market for skilled workers, particularly in industries such as manufacturing, building and construction, healthcare, tourism, and agriculture.
This also supports the McGowan government’s $195 million Reconnect WA program, which includes initiatives to attract overseas skilled workers, backpackers, and international students to the state.
“These latest changes are about making it easier for people to migrate to WA on skilled migration visas. They are targeted changes that are focused on attracting more skilled migrants to the State in the short-term and will be reviewed as the State’s skills challenges ease,” said Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery.
The measures also come as the state allocates places in the Commonwealth government’s State Nominated Migration Program.
“The changes to the State Nominated Migration Program will build on our work to boost skilled migration in areas of high demand by making migration to WA easier,” McGowan said.
WA recently increased occupations eligible for skilled migration in the state by approximately 60 per cent, according to feedback from industry.
This includes 46 per health occupations and brings the total list to 276 occupations.
“Training local residents to work in priority skilled areas remains our number one approach in the long-term,” Ellery noted.
