The Australian government added panel beaters and cabinet makers to the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) which means they can apply for a visa under the country’s skilled migration programme.
The list identifies occupations where qualified skilled migrants will help address the medium and long term skill needs of the Australian Economy.
Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator Michaelia Cash, said the new occupations on the SOL reflect that there is a gap between the skills of Australians and the work that needs to be done.
“Cabinet makers and panel beaters make a valuable contribution to the Australian economy. Migrants with these skills will enhance the size and skill of the Australian workforce,” Senator Cash said.
Other important changes to the SOL include the removal of dentists and dental specialists. An oversupply of locally-trained dentists saturated the industry. As a result, last month the Federal government withdrew dentists from the Skilled Occupation List.
The Australian Dental Association had lobbied for the removal of the profession over the last four years. Australian Dental Association president Dr Rick Olive said he was glad the sustained campaign had come to fruition as of the beginning of July, when dentists and dental professionals were removed.
“We think this one is a win for the dental profession,” he said
“It was clear to us there is a very significant oversupply of the dental workforce in Australia, we’ve been aware of that for a number of years.”
The SOL was updated based on the findings of a review of Australia’s labour market and education and migration data by the Department of Industry and Science. These changes came into effect as of 1 July 2015.
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