JOBS — SKILLED
MIGRATION LIST
743. Hon CHARLES SMITH to the Minister for Education and
Training:
I refer to the minister's
response to my question without notice 679, asked on 23 August, about the
planned introduction of a graduate skilled migration list in Western Australia,
during which the minister stated that the government's announcement had
been publicly welcomed by education providers and business lobby groups.
(1) Did the state
government commission any research into labour market conditions and local labour
underutilisation before making the decision to draft a graduate skilled
migration list?
(2) Does the
state government concede that using the incentive of permanent residency upon
graduation to encourage more foreign students further strengthens the nexus
between the higher education system and the immigration industry and
effectively serves as a way for foreign nationals to buy backdoor permanent
residency?
Hon SUE
ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) The
compilation of the graduate skilled migration list references the state
priority occupation list, which is based on extensive labour market analysis in
Western Australia.
(2) International
students are already eligible to apply for skilled visas if they meet the
commonwealth government's visa requirements. The new state-nominated
migration program, international student pathway, aims to attract the best
global talent with advanced qualifications, skills and experience to support
growth and diversification of the Western Australian economy.