Jobs & Money Detail
Your skills are a route to jobs abroad
Unfortunately, emigration wont be all fun, fun, fun. David Fuller takes a look at some of the current requirements for those seeking a life and jobs abroad
Finding jobs abroad and work overseas will open up more options for immigrants as a means of getting to either Australia, New Zealand, Canada America or South Africa.
Your reasons for wanting to live abroad are more than likely to be dictated by one of the following factors: a burning desire to improve your lifestyle, the hankering for a warmer climate, or the opportunity to live and work abroad in a country which offers a safer environment for you and your family to live in maybe even a combination of all three.
But when it comes to jobs abroad, the key question is what do these countries' governments actually want from you in exchange for allowing you to live on their shores?. More often than not the answer is simple: your skills; and that is what makes finding jobs abroad an interesting challenge.
If you are seeking jobs and a new life abroad, all three of the most popular long-haul destinations for Brits Australia, Canada and New Zealand have in place a migration programme which is dominated by the need to attract skilled workers, and each one helpfully provides a list of jobs and occupations which they particularly need to fill. Click here to view the current skills lists. According to official figures for the last full migration year, 66.4 per cent of Australia's new permanent resident intake was made up of skilled workers, as was 65 per cent of Canada's. New Zealand also welcomed over half (56.5 per cent) of its new arrivals through the skilled jobs stream. Unfortunately for some, though, not all jobs and occupations are deemed as being 'in demand' abroad, and as a result there are those who will be forced to find an alternative route to making their emigration dream a reality usually the family or business categories.
Skill lists - your route to jobs abroad
In order to live abroad in either Australia or Canada as a skilled worker you will almost certainly need to have had some work experience in one of the occupations or jobs classifications included on the skills list, which is determined by that country's government. In Oz, you will need to have worked in jobs included on the Skilled Occupations List (SOL) for a period of time ranging from between 12 of the last 18 months to two of the last three years depending on the occupation, prior to submitting your application. Without this jobs experience you won't be eligible for a skilled visa to allow you abroad. However, before you start fretting that your new life abroad is over before it has even started, it is worth noting that there are a large number of jobs and occupations included on the SOL, from trade jobs such as bricklayers and stonemasons, to professional jobs such as accountants and nurses. There is also a wide selection of management and administrative positions listed for good measure.
If your chosen occupation also happens to be included on the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL), then further points will be awarded towards your visa application, and even more if the applicant has recent work experience in that sector. As Australia's need for skilled workers has expanded over the past few years, so too has the MODL, making it well worth checking on a regular basis. In addition to the federal migration programme, states and territories which are signed up to the State/Territory Nominated Independent (STNI) visa category a scheme which allows a state to sponsor migrants who meet its particular needs also publish their own skilled shortages list. Should you find the STNI the most likely route for your application then your occupation will not have to be included on the SOL just on the state's list that you wish to be sponsored by.
To be eligible for a skilled visa through Canada's federal system you will need to have had at least one year's work experience in an occupation included under Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B on the Canadian National Occupations Classifications (NOC) list. As with the SOL there are a wide variety of professions and jobs classifications included on this list, including architects, gas fitters and registered nurses. As with Australia, Canada also offers regional visas via the Provincial Nominee Programme (PNP) which allows a province greater control over selecting the immigrants who will arrive to live there. At the time of writing, all of Canada's provinces, with the exception of Ontario, are signed up to this scheme, although with Canada's most populous province slated to sign up at some stage this year, it is well worth keeping a eye on developments courtesy of Emigrate Canada.
Unlike Australia's STNI, though, not all PNPs are governed by an occupations or jobs in demand list. For example, while Prince Edward Island and Manitoba both currently publish specific lists, Alberta and British Columbia don't. Those that don't tend to judge applicants on a case-by-case basis. Due to the current lengthy processing times for a Canadian federal Skilled Worker visa at least four years as of January 2007 many applicants choose to apply for a work permit so that they can live abroad in Canada while their visa is being processed. Late last year this process was (hopefully) made easier when the three most popular provinces with British immigrants Ontario, BC and Alberta began publishing lists of 'occupations and jobs under pressure', which aimed to speed up the times it takes an applicant to receive a work permit to work abroad in these industries, to be processed. It is also worth noting that applying through the PNP as opposed to the federal Skilled Worker category will also expedite processing times, as will having an approved offer of employment from a Canadian employer.
Previous experience preferred
To qualify for a skilled worker visa to live abroad in New Zealand you will not necessarily need to have had work experience in any of the jobs and occupations included on either one of the country's two skill shortages lists the Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL) and the Immediate Skill Shortage List (ISSL). That said, having some will help your application immensely. NZ's Skilled Migration Category (SMC) places much emphasis on an applicant having either already worked abroad in New Zealand at the time of applying for their permanent visa or being in possession of a firm job offer from a Kiwi employer it is certainly more difficult to qualify without either of these situations applying to you. Consequently, many of those who apply through the SMC look to find jobs in NZ on a work permit (temporary basis) first. The easiest way to do this is to take a look at the ISSL, which is a breakdown of job shortages in NZ by region, where you can see for yourself what occupations and jobs are in demand in a particular area.
For example, at the time of writing bakers were required in the Auckland and Otago/Southland regions, but not in the Waikato/Bay of Plenty or Wellington regions. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you, then, where it would be more advisable for any bakers out there to look for short-term employment. If, for whatever reason, you do not wish to live abroad in NZ on a temporary basis before living there permanently then you will need to secure a permanent job offer. If this job is included on the LTSSL occupations which are considered to be in shortage in all regions of the country then you will be eligible for (probably) much-needed bonus points. Occupations included on the LTSSL include secondary school teachers, physiotherapists and chefs, to name only a few.
Proving your case
Unfortunately, those of you who wish to live and take jobs abroad in the USA or South Africa will not find information on which occupations and jobs are most in need there such an easy task, as employment-based applications are judged very much on an individual basis rather than by 'in demand' lists. In the States the EB-3 visa is the most popular permanent route into America for British professionals and skilled workers. To qualify for this visa you will usually need to have at least a bachelor's degree and a minimum of two years training and experience in the jobs area you are applying for work in. Occasionally, unskilled workers with
vocational experience can also be awarded an EB-3. The main problem with this visa is that not only will you need a job offer, but you'll also need to receive labour certification. In order to gain this an employer must have advertised the job in the US for a given period of time to demonstrate there are no suitable US residents available to take the job. If it is deemed that a US citizen could do just as good a job as an a worker from abroad then certification will not be awarded. Therefore, if you are, say, a carpenter, you will somehow need to convince the US Department of Labour that you can do something that no American carpenter can do. This means that your potential employer will need to submit an in-depth description of your job, outlining exactly why your particular skills are so specialised. It is no real surprise, then, that it is mainly those who have extraordinary ability in their field and have worked at the pinnacle of their profession, who will find this route (or perhaps even the EB-1)'easy'. Many Brits who do manage to qualify for an EB-3 visa have usually used the temporary H-1B visa to get a foot in the employment door first. Although, in theory, the requirements for a H-1B are similar to those of the EB-3, in practice IT workers, nurses, teachers and some engineers seem to have much more success than workers in any other occupations when it comes to being awarded the visa.
Labour certification also applies to some of the various H-1B streams. But this isn't to say that those who can't achieve labour certification should give up on their American dream. For people who have the funds available, the E-2 visa has proved to be a fairly popular route for skilled and professional British workers. This visa requires a 'substantial' investment and the knowledge and background to manage that investment. Many trades people who fail to get a H-1B or EB-3 visa, for example, choose to run their own business in the States, as this allows them to continue working in their particular trade or occupation across the Atlantic.
In South Africa the emphasis lies solely with applicants and their ability to be offered a full time jobs with South African companies. Those who do find a suitable employer will then need to apply for a work permit before travelling abroad. There are four types available: General Work Permit the most commonly used Intra Company Work Permit, Exceptional Skills Permit and the recently announced Quota Work Permit. There are currently massive skills shortages throughout South Africa in a number of fields so it is well worth scouring the Internet or jobs abroad newspapers to search for jobs in the industry you work in.
Like in the US, business ownership is also a popular route for migrants looking to find jobs abroad in South Africa. Over the past two years the country's government has become far more supportive of foreigners wanting to invest or start businesses in South Africa, and setting up a business once you become a permanent resident should not prove to be overly difficult.
It is not only the Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, American and South African governments which are looking to attract skilled workers abroad to their country, of course. From Europe to Dubai, Japan to Bahrain, workers in all kinds of different fields and industries are much needed to maintain that country's economic competitiveness. More often than not, then, to enjoy the kind of lifestyle you've long dreamed of, your skills will be required in return if you want one of those jobs abroad.
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