Australia Courts British Workers

British workers will find it easier to move Down Under when Australia changes its immigration policy next month. New rules mean an extra five points will be awarded for passing a basic English language test under Australia’s points-based immigration system.

The pool of workers the federal government wants to attract to help combat Australia’s skills shortage has also been widened, opening the door to British architects, aviation engineers, quantity surveyors, IT professionals, locksmiths and painter-decorators.

A total of 120 points is required to move to Australia under the country’s immigration system, which awards points for factors such as youth, ability to speak languages, skills and experience.

The number of British people emigrating to Australia has increased from 8,749 in 2001/2 to 23,290 in 2005/6.

The Government plans to accept about 102,500 skilled migrants in 2007/08 to address the nation’s skills shortage.