Australia says NO MORE!
Australia says NO MORE!
Date: Tuesday, July 23, 2002 10:24 AM
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I hope to one day see this happen in the United States.
http://headlines.sify.com/1019news4.html?headline=Indian~techies~hit~by~Australia~visa~rule
Indian techies hit by Australia visa rule
Sydney, July 18
The Australian government has decided to suspend priority visa processing
for IT workers, a policy change that will affect Indian computer
professionals adversely.
"The suspension of priority visa processing is a setback for intending
Indian migrants and for those Indian students who were already in
Australia,'' President of the Australia India Society, Dr Gurdip Aurora
said.
But he supported the government decision. A surge in the number of
unemployed Australians in the IT industry had forced the Australian
government to change its policy of encouraging computer professionals from
overseas to migrate to the country.
India was the major source of skilled computing migrants to Australia. The
Indian IT migrants who were given priority status 18 months ago were making
valuable contribution to the industry.
But it is heart breaking to see more and more local IT graduates without
jobs, he said.
Australian Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock had announced that the
Federal government was suspending priority visa processing for IT workers
which was introduced 18 months ago in response to the IT boom and pressures
from the industry that had shown concern about the scarcity of computer
professionals in Australia.
The Immigration Minister, who had authorised the priority visa processing,
rejected the criticism that gvernment's reaction to the IT boom was
premature.
He said it was eminently sensible to respond to changes in the employment
situation when they occurred. "The situation has now moved to a far more
normal situation," said Ruddock.
But he promised that the policy "could be reactivated if there was a need in
the future".
A study that was critical of the government's immigration policies for IT
professionals was released last week and said there were 8000 unemployed
Australian IT professionals.
The author of the study, Bob Kinnaird, was quoted by the Sydney Morning
Herald as saying that the government's about turn was ''a step in the right
direction and definitely a positive move''.
The government had not changed the temporary visa programme for IT
professionals. Under it, employers do not have to show a proof of not
finding suitable Australians before employing a temporary overseas computer
professional.
Ruddock said the suspension of priority visa processing does not apply to
the temporary visa programme, but it is under review by the government.
Federal Minister for Employment Tony Abbott admitted last month that the
reversal in the IT market caused difficulties for computer professionals in
finding work.
The media has portrayed the images of IT professionals from India, who came
to Australia under the scheme, working as security guards.
''If there was no need for IT professionals and they could not find suitable
employment then there was no point in getting them here, (it) would be very
counterproductive for their future career,'' Aurora told SBS Radio after
meeting the Immigration Minister.
The IT industry has also supported the government's decision and the
Executive Director of the Australian Information Industry Association, Rob
Durie, said they were consulted before the decision was made.
He said the government was accepting three to four thousand IT professionals
every year.
The opposition spokeswoman on IT and communications, Senator Kate Lundy has
criticised the changes in the policy, describing it as the ''knee jerk
response'' to a short term drop in demand for IT employees.
''How is Australia going to attract the best and bright from around the
world if we fencing up?'' she was quoted as saying by the Herald.
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