Tasmania to Start Nominating
Skilled Migrants

January 9 2003 - Tasmanian Deputy Premier Paul Lennon and the Commonwealth Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, Philip Ruddock, jointly announced Tasmania's participation in the State/Territory Nominated Independents (STNI) visa scheme.

"I congratulate the Tasmanian Government's initiative in deciding to use STNI," said Philip Ruddock.

"STNI plays an important role in the economic development of regional Australia by allowing State Government to directly attract skilled migrants to fill skill shortages."

Paul Lennon said that Tasmanian was committed to attracting skilled and job ready migrants.

"We will be carefully selecting new settlers under the STNI scheme who can make a positive contribution to Tasmania's economy and society.

The STNI Scheme was established in 1997 and enables states and territories to sponsor independent skilled migration applicants who are willing to settle in states and territories where their skills are in demand.

They are normally identified through the Skill Matching Database, which contains nearly 3,000 skilled migration applicants across some 270 employment categories.

Paul Lennon said that the Department of Economic Development and the Federal Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) would determine whether occupations were in demand within Tasmania.

Applicants must:

* Be aged under 45

Have vocational or functional English if they are prepared to meet cost of upgrading their English if nominated.

Posses formal trade or professional qualifications that permit migration to Australia

Have at least six months recent work experience in a skilled occupation (unless they have Australian educational qualifications)

The range of state and territory specific initiatives available to achieve a better dispersal of skilled and business migrants throughout Australia is set to achieve record outcomes for 2002-03, according to Philip Ruddock.

"Overall visa grants in the first five months of the year are already over 20 per cent higher than for the same period last year, with 2,073 visas granted to skilled migrants and their families across Australia," Mr Ruddock said.

Paul Lennon argues that Tasmania has been a strong participant in these initiatives and has welcomed about 700 migrants to the state by these means in the last five years .