Visas & Advice Detail
British migrants sought in tas
Anthony Mchugh, the manager of Business and Skilled Migration at the Tasmanian Department of Economic Development and Tourism, answers our questions regarding emigrating to the state
Has Tasmania become a more popular destination for immigrants in recent years?
Generally speaking, Tasmania's migrant population has increased in the past six years from 792 migrants in 2001/02 to 1,394 in 2006/07 (17 per cent from the UK).
According to the 2001 Australian Census, 64 people from the UK emigrated to Tasmania in the 2001/02 financial year. However, during the 2006/07 financial year 229 people from the UK emigrated to Tasmania, while the 2006 Census shows that 47.1 per cent of Tasmania's overseas born population was born in UK. This represents a 370 per cent increase in UK migration to Tasmania in five years. So, clearly Tasmania is becoming a more popular destination for UK migrants.
Is Tasmania actively looking to attract British immigrants at present? If so, how?
Tasmania combines the best aspects of Australia and New Zealand and we are actively seeking to attract more British migrants by working closely with the Department of Immigration, UK expo organisers as well as migration agents based in the UK.
Given Britain's importance as a source of skilled migrants, Tasmania sends representatives to the UK at least twice a year to attend large-scale expos and smaller seminars as well as promoting our unique lifestyle and environment through UK media, including advertising in magazines, newspapers and websites (including our own).
The international travel media has fallen in love with the state in recent years and Tasmania will be featured on the upcoming second series of the BBC's Wanted Down Under.
What kinds of immigrants are most needed in Tasmania?
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in the year to June 2008 Tasmania's economy grew at 6.4 per cent, making it Australia's second-fastest growing economy.
We are after younger migrants and basically the same occupations as most other parts of Australia – medical professionals (dentists, doctors, nurses, etcetera), engineers, urban planners, motor mechanics, welders and metal trades, chefs and construction trades (carpenters, electricians, bricklayers, etcetera).
For a complete list of occupations in demand in Tasmania, please view our website: www.development.tas.gov.au/migration/skilledmigration.html
Is state sponsorship an important part of Tasmania's immigration programme?
Yes it is. It's a great incentive for migrants to know that there is a demand for their skills and to have the support of the government.
Under the current points test, Tasmanian state sponsorship can help older skilled migrants (35–44) secure permanent residence without having to sit a language test to gain maximum points for English language ability. Migrants sponsored by the Department of Economic Development and tourism (EDT) also get access to free one-on-one orientation sessions, employment matching and post-arrival support.
Do you think that the recent call by Chris Evans, the immigration minister, for states and territories to play a greater role in attracting immigrants will have a positive effect on Tasmania's drive to welcome more newcomers?
The Tasmanian government wants to increase the state's skilled migration intake and welcomes the minister's plan for greater state government involvement in skilled migration planning and delivery. States now have more say over which occupations attract permanent residence sponsorship and we will be using this to attract more of the skills we need from the UK.
While a majority of Tasmanian-bound immigrants settle in Hobart and the surrounding areas, do other regions of the state need workers?
Skills shortages affect all of Tasmania and areas outside of Hobart generally find it more difficult to attract people with high demand skills such as dentists, doctors, nurses, engineers, urban planners, motor mechanics, welders, carpenters and chefs.
What can be done to attract more migrants away from the state capital?
With no deserts or 'outback' Tasmania's population is quite evenly dispersed. We are the only state in Australia where more people live outside the state capital than in it and so settling outside of Hobart does not mean living in the middle of nowhere.
While most migrants settle in or around Hobart, growing numbers are settling in Launceston and the surrounding Tamar valley (home of the state's wine industry) as well as the lush North West Coast.
It is often easier to secure employment outside of Hobart and another factor to consider is house prices, which (as in other states) are more affordable outside the capital.
Why should Brits contemplate settling in Tasmania rather than the more tried and tested destinations?
Why leave an expensive, overcrowded city in UK for an expensive, overcrowded city in Australia? Tasmania still offers the lifestyle UK migrants are searching for. We don't suffer from the increasingly intense heatwaves afflicting other states and Tasmania is currently one of the fastest-growing parts of the country.