Increase in the number of permanent residency applications in Australia

Although immigration numbers to Australia may have fallen this year in response to the GFC, Australian visa company ISA Group’s workload has not diminished.

“Quite the contrary,” says ISA Group Director Brett Merrey. “Our team of migration agents have been inundated with requests from temporary overseas workers who want to convert their visa status to permanent residency.

“This has a lot of benefits to both the workers and their employers. The decision to become a permanent resident removes the ‘cloud of uncertainty’ that can hang over the heads of temporary workers, and frees them up to commit to their employers for the long term.  They are also then able to purchase property in Australia, and permanent residents have a better chance of bringing other family members to Australia.

“Similarly, sponsoring businesses no longer have to meet their obligations as a sponsor of temporary workers such as providing health cover and concerns about renewing sponsorship arrangements, which for some occupations is much tighter now than when the initial sponsorship was put in place.

“It’s a win win scenario for all concerned,” says Brett.

ISA Group’s experience is backed up by figures from the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship.  The department’s figures show that in April 2009, there was a 47 per cent increase in the number of permanent residency visas granted to temporary (457 visa) workers than for the same period in 2008.