Skilled Migrant Workers

There may be times when employers, who are having difficulty in attracting locally skilled labour, may seek to hire skilled workers from overseas under the skilled migration program.

Skilled migration plays an important role in directing skilled migrant flows to key areas to meet skills needs and contributing to economic growth. Skilled migrants can also benefit Australian business by helping to establish international networks that foster trade, knowledge sharing, research and innovation.

Some examples of situations involving overseas workers include:

• Addressing short to medium term skill shortages by recruiting suitably skilled workers from overseas where an appropriately skilled Australian is unable to be found.
• Receiving an application from a job candidate who is in Australia on a temporary visa.
• A request from a manager or department to sponsor a candidate from overseas to work in the business to address a genuine skill shortage.
• Receiving an application from a job candidate who cannot verify that they have permission to work in Australia.

When this occurs, it is strongly advised that businesses have a firm appreciation of relevant migration legislation and policy as it is illegal to employ a person who is not allowed to work in Australia.