The Australian Computer Society (ACS) is calling for a government policy revamp for skilled migration, as it believes the current visa system causes problems for employers.
Formed in 1966, ACS is a professional association for Australia’s information and communications technology sector, with over 48,000 members.
ACS was Australia’s top tech migrant sponsor under the government’s Global Talent (Independent) program and acts as a skills assessor for IT professionals.
In its submission [pdf] to comprehensive review of Australia’s migration system by the Department of Home Affairs, ACS said that 45 per cent of IT professionals are migrants who needed to be prioritised with a revamped system that targeted specific skills.
“Technology touches every business and every industry, it is a key enabler of productivity growth, and Australian employers are desperate for skilled professionals to fill in gaps left by a weak domestic pipeline,” ACS said.
“A refresh of the system is due given the complex web of visas and requirements as well as a generally unfriendly experience for migrants and employers,” ACS added.
ACS wants more research on migrant experiences, calling for greater data about people once they arrive in the country in order to help provide better employment and networking services.
“There is potential to do a far better job of tracking the journeys of migrants coming into the country, including issues with accommodation and acclimation, employment outcomes and experiences, wages and income,” the society said.
Automatic approvals for migrants problematic
ACS also warned that automatic approvals for migrant applications, subject to minimum income requirements, would only be partially helpful.
“Minimum income requirements for migrant workers in particular roles could provide a solution, but would be problematic as there is no one-size-fits-all wage threshold,” said the ACS submission.
“Strategic needs cannot simply be bucketed into wage brackets,” ACS continued.
“We need workers across the wage spectrum, and ACS cannot see an unproblematic or workable way to use wages as a proxy for strategic need,”
“At best such a model would need to have very messy per-occupation thresholds, or alternatively distort the intention of skilled migration to fill strategic gaps in the Australian skills market,” the society said.
The department’s review will help create a strategy called “A Migration System for Australia’s Future.”
It will consult with government, unions, industry, business, immigrant communities and civil society to ensure the migration system serves Australia’s national interests.
Source : https://www.crn.com.au/
