Australia skilled occupation visas open to chefs, tillers and bricklayers

Starting in July this year, the Australian immigration authority will add tillers, bricklayers and chefs to its Skilled Occupation List.

From July, would-be migrants working in the three added occupations and with qualifications or work experience will now be able to apply for residency. Previous to the change, applicants needed to have applied for state sponsorship, a costly and complicated procedure, before a visa could be granted.

For bricklayers and chefs, evidence of five year’s experience in their trade is enough to apply, as trade certificates are not needed. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship has also confirmed that all of this year’s 188 occupations will stay on the list for the remainder of the year.

Less positive news from the immigration department concerns changes brought in after the recent budget was announced. The popular Carer Subclass and Aged Parent visas have now been scrapped, although contributory parent visas will still be available, albeit at a very steep price unaffordable to the vast majority of would-be applicants.

The recent results of the Social Progress Initiative survey are expected to attract a rush of applications from would-be immigrants, given that Australia was placed in the top ten of the 132 countries surveyed. Unusually, the survey focused on human rights, quality education, freedom of speech, personal safety and the quality of life these and similar attributes offer to citizens.