The ACT government has said it will try to help migrants who had moved to Canberra in order to get state nomination for a permanent visa but are now ineligible to apply for permanent residency due to recent changes in the migration program.
During the recent months, several potential migrants moved to ACT in the hope of becoming permanent migrants in Australia through the state migration program of the territory government.
The ACT government gave state nomination to those visa applicants whose occupations were not in demand but they were willing to stay and work in the territory besides enrolling in an educational course. But that was until last month.
In the latest set of changes to the state nomination criteria made in June, the ACT Government has stopped accepting applications from those whose occupations are not in demand, leaving several international students in the lurch.
Daljit Kaur Aujla is one of the hundreds who are now contemplating moving to other parts of Australia.
Daljit Kaur Aujla (left), her husband and daughter. Source: Supplied
“When we moved from Perth to ACT in August last year, we responded to the government’s policy. But that policy was changed without any notice or advanced warning. It was almost like cheating someone,” she told SBS Punjabi.
“It seems the government was only interested in money and they have no regard for our time at all.”
Ms Aujla studied accountancy and enrolled in a management course in the ACT after finishing her degree in Perth. She is currently working in a skill level-IV job that was one of the requirements for state nomination under the previous rules. She says her family has no other option other than to move again, either to another state or back to her home country, India.
“We are going to make a decision about our future soon. Moving to Canberra has been a terrible mistake,” she said.
With the surge in the number of students moving to Canberra, there was an upward movement in economic activity, including college enrollments. However, many students are now caught in a difficult situation not knowing what to do.
Amid criticism due to a sudden change in policy, the ACT Government has now said it would help people who had moved there, Fairfax Media reported.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr. Source: AAP
"Given that demand for the program is expected to continue to increase, there will be need to find a more flexible way to manage the program within the limitations imposed by the Department of Home Affairs," quoted a spokeswoman of Chief Minister Andrew Barr.
State and Territory Governments in Australia run their migration programs to meet the economic objectives, under which they support visa applications of potential migrants who meet the set criteria of the states and the Department of Home Affairs.
Several states and territories have recently modified the eligibility criteria for state nomination, throwing many applicants off balance who are forced to look for alternatives.
