A ray of hope for Indian degree holders

CHENNAI: Australia is coming up with a new migration policy whereby outstanding Indian applicants with Indian degrees will earn points to be eligible to migrate to the country.Under the scheme that will be implemented from midnight on June 30, applicants with qualifications from Indian institutions will get points similar to the those holding Australian degrees.“Under the new policy, it doesn’t matter if the applicant studied in Australia or overseas. If they have skills they will get preference,” Australian Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Bowen, who is on an international tour to popularise the policy, told reporters in the city on Monday.But there are some wrinkles as those with Masters degree but no undergraduate degree are ineligible, he said.Interestingly, the new migration policy will also target a very skilled workforce in the age group of 45-50. “We have also changed the points test making middle age professionals eligible for migration,” he said.The policy can also be seen as a bid to cut down on people entering as temporary residents but remaining there to pursue permanent residence.   Over the last decade, net overseas migration surged to high levels from 1,06,000 in 2004 to 3,20,400 in March 2009. This was largely due to the increase in people entering Australia as temporary residents and staying there, said David Holly, Australian Consul General for South India. Meanwhile, Australia has also reduced the skills occupation list from 400 to 183. Bowen also said Australia was introducing an online expression of interest for skilled migration to Australia by making prospective applicants register their interest in applying for a skilled visa. The scheme will be in place from July 2012.This new scheme offers two advantages: to respond to the needs of labour market besides looking at the database seeking employment-based migration.