IMSVISA Services: Australian visa application advice and support

 Following months of rumour and guessing about proposed changes to the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) the Australian Government last Friday issued the first of two discussion papers on the issue. The review is expected to be completed in October.

The MODL is an important element of the General Skilled Migration program and has, since 1999, been one of the key selection tools. However the recession elsewhere and the growing spectre of unemployment in Australia forced the government to reevaluate the MODL and to try and come up with a mechanism that more accurately reflects Australia's longer term needs for skilled migration. At this stage any suggestion that one occupation will be removed while others will be added is pure speculation and no formal changes will be announced until after the review process has been completed.

It is safe to say though that there will be changes and some may be quite significant. In recent months the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, has been at pains to decouple education from migration, especially in those vocational course that lead to qualifications in occupations that are currently on the MODL list. If your planned migration to Australia is dependent on obtaining an Australian qualification in a MODL occupation you need to watch this space. Meanwhile you can see the current discussion paper here. Submissions are welcome from all stakeholders.