Victoria – Temporary closure in skilled applications for ICT occupations

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November, 2016 – The Victorian government recently provided an update about their nomination program. The details are below. If you would like to discuss this, and how it applies to you, please get in touch.  

Victorian migration

Victorian migration

Temporary closure in skilled applications for ICT occupations

Due to a large volume of skilled visa nomination applications received, applications for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) occupations will not be accepted from 11 November 2016 to 6 March 2017.

The closure will be for a period of four months, however further updates will be provided should this be extended.

The occupations affected by the temporary closure are:

135112 ICT Project Manager
261111 ICT Business Analyst
261112 Systems Analyst
261311 Analyst Programmer
261312 Developer Programmer
261313 Software Engineer
261314 Software Tester
261399 Software and Applications Programmers nec
262111 Database Administrator
262112 ICT Security Specialist
263111 Computer Network and Systems Engineer

This temporary closure will allow processing of all outstanding applications and reduce the risk of delay for future applicants.

All applications currently in process, and received prior to this date, will be assessed against current guidelines and an outcome will be provided in due course.

Applications for all other occupations eligible for Victorian Government visa nomination remain open.

 

Additional IT occupations for Skilled Occupation List (SOL): 2016 to 2017?

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Details of the potential changes to the Australian Skilled Occupation List (SOL) have recently been made public. The occupations detailed, collated by the Department of Education and presented to the Department of Immigration & Border Patrol (DIBP), are those that are likely to be deemed in demand in the coming years. The occupations are detailed below.

In demand occupations 2016-2017

In demand occupations 2016-2017

Of particular interest, and in line with the recent Deloitte Access Economics and Australian Computer Society (ACS) report is the POTENTIAL addition of some new IT occupations to the SOL from 1 July 2016 onwards. They include the following:

  1. 262111 – Database Administrator
  2. 262112 – ICT Security Specialist
  3. 262113 – Systems Administrator
  4. 263211 – ICT Quality Assurance Engineer
  5. 263212 – ICT Support Engineer
  6. 263213 – ICT Systems Test Engineer
  7. 263299 – ICT Support and Test Engineer NEC
  8. 261212 – Web Developer
  9. 261211 – Multimedia Specialist
  10. 261399 – Software and Application Programmer

Currently some of the occupations above have opportunities for state/territory nominated visas. Whilst for others – namely Web Developer & Multimedia Specialist – there are no visa options outside state/territory nominated visas.

If you are an IT professional and you would like to look at your POTENTIAL opportunities for Skilled migration, either now or in the coming months please get in touch.

Part 2: Australian innovation and visas – a new visa pathway for start ups

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Further Disrupt(ion)

There is an interesting follow up to my post last week stating that Australia needs a new business visa pathway for start ups.

The business detailed in my post, Disrupt, has now already been offered homes in a number of countries. Reportedly the UK, US and China. Whilst Disrupt will no doubt use these offers as currency – in either trying to obtain the best conditions for a move, or to potentially pull off an (unlikely) reprise for their deported COO – the lessons need to be heard.

Start ups

Australia & Entrepreneurs – Head down or head up?

Australia can’t afford to put their head down and avoid the message. Countries are willing to fight for the best young, innovative business talent out there.

Whilst Australia is full of talented people – it doesn’t have all the skills it needs within it’s population to deliver the change the business environment needs – neither can it afford to lose entrepreneurial talent such as those in Disrupt.

Skilled IT shortages in Australia – where do you fit?

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Every week that goes by we see article after article confirming the IT skills shortages that exist, and will continue to increase in Australia.

Late last year the Australia & New Zealand president and managing director of SAP, John Ruthven, expressed his concerns for Australia’s critical skills shortage in IT. He was quoted as saying “Society is marching to the tune of technology, yet Australia’s IT skills shortage is becoming critical”. Full article.

This is further enhanced by a recent – March, 2016 – joint report by the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and Deloitte Access Economics. The report looked at how digital disruption is changing business  and its effect on the workplace in Australia. It’s findings were that Australia will require more ICT workers. With demand for a further 100,000 workers over the next 6 years. Full report.

The reasons behind the disparity between what is available and what is needed is recognised as being due to many reasons. Some of these include the DOCTOM bust of the 2000’s and the Australian resources boom that distracted students from taking up Computer Science study over the last decade. In addition the lack of women taking on computer science course has also had a marked effect on the skilled IT human resources available to employers in Australia.

This shortage is evident by the number of IT places that are available for nomination under the 2015-16 skilled occupation list for the Subclass 189 visa. To date over 80% of the IT occupation have been filled as below

ICT Skilled Migration

SkillSelect IT occupation ceilings

If you are an IT Professional and would like to discuss your visa eligibility please get in touch with us.

In addition to the above there are opportunities for state nomination in additional IT occupations. Recruiters are also often in touch to ask us about clients who are going through the skilled process as an IT professional or have recently had their visa approved.