Australia committed to attracting the best

A dynamic culture, diverse geography, developed economy and warm people seldom become prominent attributes of one country. However, there is one nation that can boast all this and much more.

Australia is now considered one the best countries to migrate to and hence it is certainly geared to attract the best migrants from all over the world, especially Sri Lanka. Peter Russell Loughton, the General Manager for Australian Citizenship Migration Services and Senior Migration Consultant of Multinational Holding Group of Companies, shed some light on what it takes to be successful as a business or skilled migrant to Australia. Following are excerpts of an interview with Daily FT:

Q: What advantages do Sri Lankans have over other nationalities when being considered for an application under the above visa categories?

A: In terms of the skilled migration category, a major advantage is the similarity between the standards of higher education offered in both the countries. I know through experience and years of observation that the degree programmes in both countries complement one another and this certainly makes Sri Lankan applicants a tad more attractive than those who apply with degrees from other countries.

In general, candidates who apply for leave to enter Australia from Sri Lanka have a good knowledge of the English language.

This is very important when qualifying for a visa because we need to be convinced that those who enter Australia are able to hold a conversation in English without immense difficulty, as the language barrier opens doors to many other problems and Sri Lankans are generally not subject to difficulties arising from the inability to converse in English.

Sri Lankans have an easygoing nature, they are quite calm, relaxed, have polite manners and most of all are non-violent.

That blends well with the Australian norm of general approach.

Australians too are approachable and they treat people around them with respect and compassion.

The similarity in these traits between the two nationalities makes it very easy for new Sri Lankan migrants to integrate well into Australian society and even if in the unlikely event they face any difficulty, they know where and how to get help so their new life abroad doesn’t turn bitter.

Q: Has the influx of failed asylum seekers who attempted to enter Australia illegally in the recent past affected the potential for legal candidates in any manner?

A: Categorically, no; this type of issue is an ongoing challenge for immigration officials in many developed countries. Some incidents are reported and some are not. We ensure this does not affect the eligibility of legal applicants who earn leave to migrate to Australia as we are committed to attracting the best and we will not waver in our standards of examining applications.

This in itself is good evidence that we process migration requests on merit and not on whether the applicant belongs to a nationality that has a record of trying to enter Australia through avenues which are not approved by the legal framework.

Q: Why should Sri Lankans select Australia for migration over other developed nations?

A: Australia has a place for those who strive to make a career. It has innumerable opportunities and also a good support system that will help people realise their professional aspirations.

Those with a ‘can do’ attitude can make it big within an Australian work system because it encourages dedication and rewards hard work.

Further, it has a good balance between professional and personal life.

The leisure activity within the country is varied and can soothe the melancholy of routine lifestyle of those who have extremely different methods of winding down.

Q: What is the biggest challenge business and skilled migrants face when beginning their Australian life?

A: Business migrants will find the reduction in head count extremely challenging. The set up costs and the increase in recruitment costs makes it commercially sensible to have a lower headcount than the numbers employed in local branches, hence the structure of the company and the division of work has to be scrutinised so work is not compromised owing to the lower head count or staff are not overloaded due to work bottlenecks. This whole process will require rigorous planning and timely implementation, which is quite complex.

Where skilled migrants are concerned, finding a job within a short time can be the biggest challenge.

The labour market in Australia is very open. There is no discrimination encountered when competing for jobs, but it is important that one searches for jobs in the right place so that they make the most out of their qualifications and their visa duration; this requires a lot of guidance and patience, but the situation improves with time.

Q: Are Australian employers aware of the entitlements and restrictions of various visa categories, given the constant updates they are subject to?

A: Lack of awareness was a traditional issue, but we have since worked on instilling a robust system which educates employers on the entitlements of various visas that are granted by the Australian Migration Authority and also provides an insight to the new visas that the authorities introduce.

The system, which is named ‘VIVO,’ does not provide personal details of the visa holders due to our commitment to protect personal details of applicants, but given an employer need to verify it further, the availability of our officers is guaranteed. This ensures that applicants are not exploited or unfairly rejected from job opportunities under any circumstance and also assures the commitment of our authorities to offer assistance to employers who are keen to abide by the country’s recruitment legislation.

Apart from all of this, Australia is clean and it gives migrants a completely different lifestyle. We work hard on giving out the best; therefore we want to attract the best. Many interested migrants might feel they are eligible to apply.

I recommend they refer a consultant prior to making the application and verifying their credibility.

Meeting the whole list of criteria is imperative for successful applications and our consultants will be happy to assist at our local office located at 245, Fourth Floor, Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 7. The office can be reached on telephone, 0115-500100.