Australian Immigration News

Queensland and Western Australia Welcome More Foreign Workers

According to the Australian Immigration Minister Chris Bowen, Australia could hire thousands more foreign workers for projects in Queensland and Western Australia.

The Minister revealed that only a small number of resource companies had applied to hire foreign workers to Australia. Among these companies, Gina Rinehart's Roy Hill iron ore project in Western Australia was the only one to be approved so far.

"The size of these projects is well known so it's not hard to figure out which ones qualify," the Minister added. "There is a small number that have applied. Obviously the negotiations are commercially in-confidence. They are detailed and take some time."

Companies applying for projects must give priority for Australian workers. Opportunities for foreign workers are still available because enterprise migration agreements could offer capital expenditure of more than $2 billion and with a peak workforce of more than 1500 workers.

At a Brisbane mining conference, the Opposition agreed with visas for foreign workers but recommended the same sort of controversial policies introduced on the waterfront under the Howard government. Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said Australian business and their investors should need greater certainty that they would be able to find workers.

If you are interested in Australian visas , contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try its visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Australia.