ATSE welcomes the opportunity to provide a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Migration’s inquiry into the role of permanent migration in nation building. This submission argues that migrants play a vital role in Australia’s world-class STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), both in the research sector and in translation and application; and fill critical skills shortages across the country. A comprehensive, nationwide taxonomy of skills will help to identify shortages of priority skills that require migration to help resolve. Streamlining the visa approvals process for early career STEM researchers and professionals will help Australia to attract and retain the brightest minds, and ensure Australia remains an internationally competitive destination for highly-skilled migrants.
ATSE makes the following recommendations:
Recommendation 1: The Australian Government develops a national strategy to better utilise the skills of migrant workers in the Australian workforce.
Recommendation 2: The Australian Government develops a comprehensive national skills taxonomy to identify skills shortages in critical industries to direct skilled migration priorities.
Recommendation 3: The Australian Government streamlines the visa process for international research students seeking to study in Australia and postdoctoral researchers employed by Australian research institutions.
Recommendation 4: The Australian Government reduces visa processing timelines to ensure talented STEM professionals are not deterred from applying for visas due to excessive wait times or poached by international competitors while waiting for visas to be processed.
