| NEWS ARCHIVES |
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| Australia shifts immigration seeking higher skills |
| 8 Feb 2010 |
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Australia will dump 20,000 low-skilled migrant applications.
The government said it wants to refocus its immigration intake on highly-skilled jobs critical to the economy, and help meet growing Chinese resource demand.
The move was welcomed by Australia's mining sector, which has been expanding to meet China's growing demand for resources, but is struggling with a shortage of skilled workers.
The switch will be a blow to Canberra's overseas student education sector, the country's third largest export earner.
But some education experts are not complaining, as many seek an overhaul on the foreign student sector.
It follows reports of fraud and that students are in the system purely to gain residency in Canberra.
They do so after completing vocational courses at private colleges, usually in low-skill careers such as hairdressing and catering. |