Malaysians will be among thousands of would-be migrants to Australia who will have their applications cancelled as part of an Australian government overhaul of the skilled migration programme, Bernama reported.
Australia’s Immigration Minister Senator Chris Evans announced that Canberra was reforming the permanent skilled migration programme to make it demand- rather than supply-driven.
The report noted that highly skilled workers such as healthcare, engineering and mining professionals would be among those most sought after under the new scheme, the minister said in a statement.
He would set a maximum number of offshore general skilled migration visa applications made before Sept 1, 2007 that could be granted.
Evans said the major changes that he would be making included cancelling and refunding the applications of 20,000 prospective migrants currently living overseas and tightening the list of occupations in demand so that only highly skilled migrants would be eligible for a visa.
