Australia spends 38 million dollars for immigration system improvements

Because of the recent high demand for workers, Australian Immigration Minister Chris Bowen and Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs  Senator Kate Lundy announced that the government is willing to shell out as much as $38.5 million in the next financial year in order to improve the condition of migrants and help them settle in their new communities. The announcement was made due to the fact that several Australian states are having a hard time supplying the high demand for local workers within the different job sectors of the country. A total of 179 new projects were delivered to 148 organizations which would be funded under the Government’s Settlement Grant Program or SGP from July 1, 2011. The program was created in the hopes of helping new Australian immigrants to become self-reliant and to help their new country by providing the skills needed to boost the Australian economy.

Several key Australian states, like Western Australia, are in need of strong immigration. Lately, Western Australia have adjusted some of its own laws in order to make it easier for employers in the state to recruit immigrants and help them transistion to their permanent residence. This makes it the more reason to promote SGP. Mr. Bowen stated that the increasing funds for SGP will truly help immigrants in settling down in their new home comfortably and to equip them with all the skills necessary to get a good job with a good pay.

It is estimated that by Jun 2011, a total of 48.6% of skilled immigrants in Australia will be present, while 11.7% will be refugees under humanitarian projects. There is supposedly an increase with immigration because of the news of high demand for employees within the different job sectors within the different States. Senator Kate Lundy stated that the innovative projects given in the SGP would make a real difference within the lives of Australian immigrants. We will only hope that this is indeed realized and not just another vision.

It is now to be seen whether the improvements will indeed boost immigration in order to fill up hundreds of vacant positions within the multi-billion mining and resource companies.