The Australian immigration system has evolved over the years to its present form. Today Australia is one of the few English-speaking commonwealth countries that has a points-based immigration program. The system attracts skilled professionals to the country, and provides career advancement opportunities for qualified experts, thereby creating win-win solutions across the board. Here is a look at some of the finer points of this very successful policy.
Earning points
The program is as simple as it is effective. Foreign nationals aspiring to move to Australia for employment can apply if they qualify with the required points. Points are awarded for occupation, work experience, language, education, age, and other criteria. Anyone who scores 65 points or more can apply. The points system applies specifically to skilled migrants and employment seekers. Students, refugees, and migrants seeking family reunification in Australia apply via other paths.
One can score points as follows:
- Age: 18 to 24 years (25 points), 25 to 32 years (30 points), 33 to 39 years (25 points), 40 to 44 years (15 points)
- English language proficiency (assessed via tests such as the IELTS): Proficient (10 points), Superior (20 points)
- Overseas work experience: 3-4 years (5 points), 5-8 years (10 points), 8+ years (15 points)
- Work experience in Australia: 1-2 years (5 points), 3-4 years (10 points), 5-7 years (15 points), 8+ years (20 points)
- Education: Doctorate (20 points), Master’s (15 points), Bachelor’s (10 points)
- One also gets points for criteria such as the spouse’s educational qualifications.
This makes it easy to calculate one’s eligibility. For example someone who has superlative English language skills (20 points), holds a doctorate (20 points), and is 30 years of age (30 points) can earn 70 points, thereby being eligible to apply for points-based migration to Australia.
Migrating for work
Migrants from developing countries seek to move to Australia primarily for better job opportunities. Professionals such as IT consultants, software developers, project managers, telecom engineers, data scientists, doctors, dentists, nurses and others can often earn 4-5 times higher by moving to Australia. The cost of living is significantly higher too, and so is the quality of life.
For 2020 Australia has an economic freedom score of 82.6, which makes it the 4th freest economy in the world. Economic freedom is the premise for individual liberty and prosperity for society. It also makes Australia a great place for entrepreneurship.
Diversity
Australia is truly diverse in terms of the ethnic composition of its population. Thanks to attractive government policies skilled migrants have been arriving in Australia continuously for decades. Millions of migrant professionals live and work in Australia. They regularly send remittances to their loved ones back home via international money transfers.
The Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups (ASCCEG) reported that the largest communities in the country in 2019 were Australian 25.4%, English 25%, Scottish 6.4%, German 3.2%, Chinese 3.1%, Indian 1.4%, Greek 1.4%, and Dutch 1.2%. In all there are 278 ethnic and cultural groups in the country. The government recognizes English as the de facto language of the state.
Quality of life
Moving to a developed country like Australia presents many advantages. The country has an effective and subsidized healthcare system. Prescription medicines can be bought at discounted rates with the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Schooling for children is free and compulsory. Higher education is subsidized via a student loan program. Australia has several highly ranked universities. The quality of education is world class. The Australian Government extends financial help to families with young children through multiple programs.
The natural climate of Australia is blessed with long days full of sunshine. This provides many opportunities to enjoy the scenic outdoors. Australia is the 6th largest country in the world by land area. Yet it has a relatively small population. This makes for a very low population density. Australia has numerous natural wonders, and is a popular destination for international tourists.
About the author:
Hemant G is a contributing writer at Sparkwebs LLC, a Digital and Content Marketing Agency. When he’s not writing, he loves to travel, scuba dive, and watch documentaries.
