a cap on Australian immigration

Australia has joined the United Kingdom and Canada in implementing a cap on Australian immigration. The UK government has announced its intention to cap immigration, and Canada has limited the number of applications it will consider under its own skilled worker scheme. Last month the Australian government introduced a skilled visa capping bill, to limit the number of skilled workers able to enter the country. Now the new Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, has spoken about restricting population growth by limiting Australia immigration.

The Prime Minister, herself an immigrant from Wales, made a speech to the Lowy Institute on 5th July. As reported by The Australian, Gillard signalled her intention that the Labour government should slow down the growth in Australia’s population and ensure that Australian immigration should be driven by regional needs within the country.

In the meantime Australian Immigration Minister Chris Evans has promised to use his new visa capping powers sparingly. The new law, which cleared the lower house of parliament last month, gives the minister powers to close applications in particular classes if sufficient numbers of people in a particular occupation have already been admitted to the country. The minister has described the press response to the new law as “hysterical” and said that he will use his new powers to limit Australian immigration sparingly.

A pattern is now emerging where countries are seeking to protect employment for their existing population by imposing limits on immigration, while seeking to admit people in high-demand occupations in a more controlled way. Speaking about this trend, Liam Clifford, Director of Global Visas the world’s leading Immigration Company said, “All major economies are locking down their labour markets. This is protectionism which world leaders have previously warned against. This short-sighted approach often leads to difficulties for local employers in securing the talent they need. The policy of capping skilled migrants is wrong and the fact is if there are no vacancies or jobs skilled migrants will not come. Economies and countries must allow talent to move freely and compete for that talent in an open market. Locking your door is not the answer.”

For more information

Please contact the UK Global Visas office on +44 (0)207 190 3903.

About Global Visas

Global Visas are a world leading authority on immigration and visas for private individuals and corporate clients, providing the most comprehensive and up-to-date visa and immigration advice available. Their offices around the world provide immigration and visa solutions for those travelling to America, South Africa, Australia, the UK and many other countries. Global Visas was founded in 1996 by a former immigration officer.