The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) works closely with the NSW Business Chamber to promote the Australian Government’s skilled migration program.
This program is designed to help businesses fill skills gaps when local labour is hard to find. An Industry Outreach Officer (IOO) from DIAC works from the Chamber’s North Sydney office every Thursday, providing free advice to help members understand and access the skilled migration program.
The IOO can help with things like:
- product information
- policy and procedural advice
- how to lodge applications
- employer obligations
- suggestions on how to find skilled workers.
They can also answer general questions, put you in touch with the right person and explain the range of temporary and permanent visa options available.
If you are a member who would like help with skilled migration, you can call the DIAC Outreach Officer on 0466 150 022, or send an email.
Learn more about skilled migration
Below is a list of useful information from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship:
Additional funding for 457 visa processing
As part of the Federal Budget 2011–12, the Australian Government has announced additional funding of $10 million for the 457 program, which aims to halve processing times for 457 visas from the current median of 22 calendar days. More...
Introduction of Enterprise Migration Agreements
The government has announced the introduction of Enterprise Migration Agreements (EMAs), a new temporary migration initiative to help address the skill needs of the resources sector. More...
Introduction of Regional Migration Agreements
As part of the budget, the government has announced the introduction of Regional Migration Agreements (RMAs). These agreements are a new migration initiative that will bring together employers, local and state government and unions to cooperate on addressing local labour needs. More...
New points test
Changes to the points test for general skilled migration take effect from 1 July 2011.
More...