The Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) launched a program that provides skilled immigrants in Australia with a free and fast-tracked skills assessment. The Australian Government has identified skills shortages as a problem that needs to be addressed right away. These shortages are made worse by border closures brought on by the COVID-19 crisis, which has caused shortages of workers in particular sectors. Because of how serious the situation is, there are now powerful incentives that could help 9500 onshore migrants. The Migrant Skills Incentives include free, expedited skills assessments for onshore migrants who are residing in Australia on a permanent family, partner, humanitarian, or refugee visa in addition to faster migrant skills assessment procedures.

A specific incentive is available to immigrants who have never had their skills evaluated and who have the knowledge, credentials, and/or experience necessary for a priority occupation.

Engineering careers with the highest priority include:

• Civil engineers
• Electrical engineers
• Structural engineers
• Geotechnical
• Mechanical engineers
• Transport engineers
• Petroleum engineers
• Mining engineers

“This program represents quite a dramatic difference in terms of the time an assessment would typically take,” said Robin Liu, Senior Manager Assessments for Engineers Australia.

“A typical evaluation could take 16 to 18 weeks. Fast-tracked assessments that have been previously paid for could take 20 working days. An outcome is provided by this free offer, which runs from February 28, 2022, to June 30, 2023.”

What Engineers need to know?

The assessment procedure for those in the engineering profession will be overseen by Engineers Australia in its capacity as an assessing authority.

Engineer Liu, who is also a migrant, stated, “We need to promote and communicate this out into various communities to make this solution work. We’re referring to individuals with permanent visas who have never completed an assessment with us in the past.”

The main challenge is for engineers and engineering firms to engage with the larger community, inform anyone they believe might be qualified, get them evaluated, and broaden the talent pool.

According to Liu, it’s also advantageous for those in engineering to comprehend the assessment process and its significance in order to take advantage of the opportunities that result from this process. Applicants who already hold permanent visas are free to work in Australia, he declared. According to a statement from the assessment process, “Our assessment process is to confirm that they are a suitable qualified engineer whose qualifications are recognized as equivalent to an Australian engineering degree.”

What’s in it for Engineering Business?

Why is it crucial that skilled migrant incentives are created and disseminated to the appropriate individuals? Engineers Australia’s Chief Engineer Jane MacMaster said that the industry thrives on talent, knowledge, and experience from all over the world.

She said that skilled immigrants are essential to keeping Australia’s engineering capabilities strong. At the last census, 58% of Australia’s engineering team were born overseas.

There are many skilled, experienced migrant engineers in the country who are not working in engineering-related positions. These kinds of incentives can significantly improve employment outcomes and ease the shortage of skilled workers.

However, if organizations are unaware of the potential influx of migrant engineering talent, they risk losing out on significant, fresh opportunities. Despite the highest demand for engineers in a decade. It is still difficult to get Australian employers to value and acknowledge the international experience that skilled immigrant engineers bring, according to MacMaster. This opportunity can also be used as a trigger to instigate Reasons to move to Australia. for skilled manpower.

If engineering firms are willing to invest in training to impart the necessary local (Australian) knowledge to enable them to contribute their capabilities to the fullest extent, they have the opportunity to access a wealth of experience. Engineers Australia is actively working on a number of initiatives to assist in addressing barriers to skilled migrant employment from both the skilled migrant and employer perspectives.

Liu stated that engineers have always supported, encouraged, mentored, and promoted other engineers. He declared, “Here, the intention is as crucial as the business case. Engineers Australia wants to support immigrant engineers in their long-term integration into our community. The free assessment is the first step in having their abilities and knowledge acknowledged. That’s a great place to start.

Some important points about Fast Tracked Assessment

Only 15 to 30 days are needed to complete Engineers Australia’s fast-track assessment process. Therefore, candidates can use Fast Track to speed up the processing of their applications. When the applicant’s profession is in high demand on the Australian market, it is advantageous. Support from the applicant for the Migration Skill Assessment results is not a guarantee of eligibility for the fast track. The candidate’s application’s quality is the only factor that matters. All supporting documentation and data that the assessor considers must be submitted with the application.

• Once your application has been submitted, you can apply for a fast track.
• You must submit a fast track service request with your name, payee details, Engineers Australia ID, migration skill assessment number, and other information in order to receive the fast track service.
• If you haven’t already applied for a skill assessment, you can do so now.
• Fast Track Service is intended for first-time applicants only; it is not for repeat applicants.
• There will be no refund of the fast-track process fee.

Fast Tracked Skills Assessment Incentives for Onshore Migrants

The demand for skilled workers peaks as the Australian economy recovers from COVID-19’s global effects and opens doors for onshore skilled migrants. The Australian government introduced three migrant skills incentives to help meet these labor market demands.

Incentive 1 – Faster Skills Assessments

As was already mentioned, the incentive for faster skills assessments is available to onshore migrants who have already submitted and paid for their applications for the priority occupation and are awaiting the outcome.

Eligibility:

• You submitted and paid for your skills assessment application while residing in Australia.
• You submitted a skills assessment by February 28, 2022, or earlier.
• You requested a skills assessment for a priority occupation.
• The results of your application for a skills assessment are still pending.

Your Assessing Authority will automatically expedite your skills assessment if you meet the aforementioned requirements. This incentive is free and there is no requirement to apply. This incentive started on February 28 of last year and ends on June 17 of this year. After receiving all required paperwork, your Assessing Authority will likely finish your skills assessment within 15 business days.

Incentive 2: Migrant Skills Assessment Opportunities

With a permanent family, partner, refugee, or humanitarian visa, eligible immigrants who are currently residing in Australia may take advantage of this incentive. For immigrants with undervalued skills in high-demand occupations, it provides free, expedited skill evaluation.

Eligibility:

• You plan to submit a request for a skills assessment in a priority occupation on or after February 28, 2022.
• You have never had your skills assessment for the nominated occupation before.
• When you submit your skills assessment application, you are presently a resident of Australia.
• With a permanent family, partner, humanitarian, or refugee visa issued on or after January 1, 2019, you are present in Australia.

Incentive 3 – Employability Assessments

With the aid of this incentive, skilled immigrants’ employment prospects should improve. You can get a free assessment of your employability and access to free or heavily discounted training that will help you develop the specialized skills needed for the priority occupation. Incentives for employability assessments will start in the middle of 2022.

Assessment Process

If you are qualified to apply for assessment, you will be directed to the EA portal to finish the application process after completing the form. Gather all the necessary paperwork before beginning your application, and read the migration skills assessment page in detail. For the best results from your assessment, be sure to read this material in its entirety. Within 15 business days of receiving your application, evaluation will be done and you will know the results.

What next?

When applying for engineering jobs, you can include your letter describing your successful assessment outcome. The letter will increase an employer’s trust that you possess the abilities required to work in your nominated occupation in an Australian workplace. It is also important to write a CDR Engineers Australia for assessment of your engineering expertise and qualifications. Please get in touch with us if you have any inquiries about the free fast-tracked skills assessment.