Non-Australian residents who wish to work in Australia can either look for an Australian company that is willing to sponsor them or if applicable, apply for a working holiday visa. Temporary residence visas are given to those non-Australian residents who have been sponsored by the company they have applied for. This is the same visa granted to people who visit Australia for special purposes such as entertainment performances and sports competitions. Meanwhile, a working holiday visa is also available for people coming from United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Canada, Malta and the Republic of Korea. Like the temporary residence visa, it gives people from the said countries the opportunity to work in Australia to earn supplementary income. The difference is that this visa is actually based on tourist purposes. The main goal is to allow owners to visit and tour Australia for about a year but at the same time, give them a chance to earn money that may be helpful in paying for the expenses they incur during their stay. This visa has been very popular in Australia such that it accounted for almost 80,000 visitors in 2000-2001 and 85,000 in 2001-2002. Apart from temporary residence and working holiday visas, the government of Australia has also launched a skilled immigration program to remedy the problem of skill shortages in their workforce. By this year, it is estimated that an additional of 20,000 visas will be made available for qualified workers. To attract more applicants, the government even boasts of its statistics that confirm almost nine out ten skilled independent visa holders gain employment within the first 6 months. Applicants are assessed by way of a point system. They will be rated based on certain categories. Assessments can be done by consulting Australian embassies or by contacting legitimate travel agencies. There are also sites that offer free pre-assessment online. The applicant will be asked to answer a survey form, which contains questions related to civil status, work experience, skills and language skills. Results of the pre-assessment are mailed to the address the applicant provided. |
