Bid to lure skilled migrants to regional communities

Skilled migrants wanting to move to Australia will have their visas fast-tracked if they move to a regional area under a bid to get more workers outside the country’s capital cities.

Skilled migrants wanting to move to Australia will have their visas fast-tracked if they live and work in regional areas.

Department of Home Affairs officials will be deployed to regional communities across Australia to work directly with local businesses in a bid to get more skilled workers.

Immigration Minister David Coleman will on Friday unveil the move, which will cost $19.4 million over four years.

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The measures include:

PRIORITY processing for visas sponsored by employers in regional areas;

A NEW “regional migration hub” for business to access more skilled migrant workers; and
MORE designated area migration agreements, where councils are given special powers to recruit overseas workers.

Immigration Minister David Coleman. Picture: AAP

Mr Coleman said the initiatives would support regional employers to get the skilled workers they need to grow and develop their businesses.

“These regional initiatives will see the Department of Home Affairs work directly with regional employers and communities to attract migrants,” he said.

“Our officers will be on-the-ground to discuss regional migration opportunities with regional employers and communities, and also to hear first-hand the local labour issues they face.”

A number of regions in Victoria have been facing a massive skills shortage.

In the state’s southwest, up to 1000 jobs are currently vacant across the region.

That area — centered in and around Warrnambool — late last year became the second region in the nation to be given a Designated Area Migration Agreement.

With the extra funding, more regions are expected to follow – tying hundreds of visas to a requirement to live in the area.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said there needed to be better planning between state and federal governments. Picture: Kym Smith

But the extra measures to be announced on Friday go beyond DAMAs and will allow regional businesses all over the country — including in large centres such as Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat — to employ more skilled workers.

The moves come as state and federal ministers will today meet to discuss an agenda to manage Australia’s population and congestion pressures.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said there needed to be better planning between state and federal governments.

“With better planning, we can as a nation put in place the right solutions to deliver the right outcomes for all Australians as our population grows,” Mr Frydenberg said.

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