How the Australian Budget 2011-2012 Will Affect the Immigration Policy

A large amount of interest has surrounded the release of the 2011-2012 Australian Federal Budget, especially considering the latest global economic figures.
Immigration is not often considered an important area in terms of finance because it generally does not affect local citizens.
However, media interest in the rate of refugees arriving on Australian shores has lead to an increased awareness of the funding of immigration policy.
Skilled Migration Selection Proposal The Australian Federal Government has announced a plan to overhaul Skilled Migration Selection in its Budget for 2011.
The new model is proposed to commence in July, 2012 and will affect individuals and families applying for independent, family or state and territory sponsored migration.
According to the model, applicants for these visas will have to place an expression of interest using an online electronic processing system rather than submitting directly for a visa.
If successful, individuals may then be invited to submit a full application for their preferred visa.
It will not affect those applying for 457 or employer sponsored visas.
Enterprise Migration Agreements Also introduced as part of the Budget, Enterprise Migration Agreements (EMAs) are designed to speed up the completion times of major resource projects with a capital expenditure greater than $2 billion.
The EMAs are designed to fill local labour shortages in employment areas that would not usually be included under skilled migration rules.
Due to the large capital expenditure requirement, the EMAs are likely to serve the mining industry above any other Australian venture.
Those companies employing individual under the EMAs are obliged to invest the equivalent of 2 per cent of their pay roll on training and must comply with normal 457 obligations.
Additional Funding for 457 Applications As a direct result of the Queensland Flood crisis earlier in 2011, an extra $10 million has been dedicated to accelerating the processing time of 457 applications.
A new processing centre will be established in Brisbane in order to speed up the reconstruction of areas ravaged by flooding.
This injection of funds is expected to halve 457 processing times to 11 calendar days.
Regional Migration Agreements The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) will join forces with local governments to fill labour shortages in regional areas.
High growth areas where local labour cannot meet the needs for infrastructure and industry will be targeted.
Regional Migration Agreements (RMAs) will be introduced in 2012 and are designed to match immigrants to regional areas in need of their skill sets.