Migrating to Australia: Sponsorship
CareerOne receives a ton of emails from people around the globe wanting to research sponsorship options to Australia.
In researching the topic ourselves, we have found there are no easy answers. People are sponsored, yes, but there is no formal system of hooking up from across the globe. Some recruiters and employers actively scout overseas candidates via career shows or their overseas offices and some accept emails from overseas candidates looking for a sponsor.
If you have a highly sought after skillset then it's possible that simply applying for a job may lead to a sponsorship offer. Click here to find out if your skills are in demand.
For example, we received an email from an IT professional who found a job on careerone.com.au and applied for it from Bangalore. He wrote to say he got the job and was being sponsored out. However, many more people applying from overseas will hear nothing back because they are competing with candidates who have the same skills and are here now.
In many cases, people come out on other types of visas, they start working and then their employer offers to sponsor them. Japanese architect Hero came to Australia to visit his sister. His Australian-born brother-in-law arranged for him to do some unpaid work experience in Sydney. The architecture firm was so impressed with Hero they offered to sponsor him. Meanwhile, Christina came to Australia with her partner who had a job. She had the legal right to work and landed a contract as a marketing executive. Her employers were so impressed they sponsored her.
Assyl Haidar is the Melbourne-based CEO of immigration service live.inaustralia.com, which provides free assessments for those overseas wanting to come to Australia. It also keeps a database of suitable overseas "sponsorship candidates" to help with inquiries from employers and provides fee-based services to overseas candidates as well. Read more about Live In Australia.com.
Mr Haidar said while more Australian companies were considering sponsorship to fill staff shortages: "It's still important that people maximise their chances by trying to immigrate independently. This also provides candidates with greater flexibility as to whom they want to work for."
There are many immigration services in Australia including specialist law firms. All immigration agents must be registered and to stay registered they must comply with a myriad of rules and standards set out by the Migration Agents Registration Authority
Professional services firm KPMG's migration practise Karen Waller said Australian employers who do sponsor overseas candidates must register with the Department of Immigration.
She said the growth of the resources industry has turned Australian companies to sponsorship as a way of meeting their recruitment needs.
"Particular areas of interest are for engineers, we can't get enough of them," Ms Waller said. "Our clients search the world high and low for them. From South America to South Africa to Northern Europe to the US. We brought in 250 last year."
For professionals looking to work here Ms Waller suggests kick-starting the process through corporations in their country with a presence in Australia. Also, there are recruitment agencies in Australia who also have offices overseas. KPMG's migration services
Julie Mills is the executive director of Australia's peak recruitment body, the Recruitment & Consulting Services Association. The RCSA has been very active in trying to find new solutions to the skills shortage.
Ms Mills said that a number of recruiters were also migration agents. She advises candidates to target recruiters who specialise in their particular industry or professional sector [banking, nursing, engineering, marketing etc] that were also migration agents. To uncover the right recruiters, first do a job search on CareerOne to see which firms are advertising the sort of roles you would be suited to. Once on our site you can also click on Browse by Recruiter.
Or you can visit the RCSA's website to scan their member lists of industry-specific recruiters. The next step would be to Google those firms and visit their websites to see if they are registered migration agents.
Click here to find an Australian Embassy. Also, visit this website to read information tailored to migrants already in Australia looking for work. And South Australia has its own immigration website.
About Live in australia.com
*LiveIn australia.com provides a number of services. For candidates, it provides free assessments so individuals can find out if they are suitable candidates to come to Australia either via sponsorship or independently. Click here to find out more about the free assessment. Individuals can then register as a "sponsorship candidate" with LiveIn australia.com. If an employer is looking for a particular skillset, then the database will be searched to see if there is a match.
A number of fee-based services are also offered starting from $US299 (Australian $400). "We are trying to make the process of applying for immigration faster, more accessible and more affordable," said Haidar.
For employers, LiveIn australia.com provides advice on how to sponsor candidates and how to help both the candidate and their family settle in to Australia to ensure they feel at home and are productive as soon as possible.
"There are two things that employers need to understand about the skills shortage," Mr Haidar said. "First, this is a long term problem caused largely by Australia's aging population and second, it's happening around the world so Australia is competing for candidates globally."
Setting up a bank account
The Commonwealth Bank's international customer service department specialises in setting up bank accounts for migrants before they arrive in Australia. The service is free of charge. For more information on the service or to contact one of the Commonwealth Bank's international help desks visit Moving to Australia
Studying in Australia
This is an official government website that gives you the low-down on accredited institutions, courses and scholarships as well as living costs, the application process and visa requirements.
http://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/Sia/en/Home.htm