Perth top choice of Sabah migrants
by Chok Sim Yee. Posted on June 16, 2011, Thursday
KOTA KINABALU: Perth, the capital of Western Australia, has remained for decades the top choice among Sabahan migrants, the state of Victoria is the most popular migration destination among Malaysians.
Grant Colbron, who is AusAsia Borneo’s senior partner and head of Australia Immigration, said yesterday Malaysia has been consistently among the top five to seven source countries of migration to Australia for over 10 years.
The migrants comprise young professionals and business people, including investors, and executives, said Colbron who was here for a seminar on migration to Australia and investment opportunities in Victoria .
The event, attended by more than 80 people, was mainly aimed to promote Victoria as a place for business and skilled migrants, as well as to provide information on business banking by the ANZ Bank in Australia.
AusAsia Borneo was established last year to meet the needs of Sabahans and Sarawakians who wish to migrate to Australia.
It is the East Malaysia operation of AusAsia Migration Sdn Bhd, which is based in Kuala Lumpur and established 13 years ago.
Colbron, who has over 15 years of experience with the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), said that based on clients’ feedback and survey, the major driver of migration to Australia is lower cost of education, particularly tertiary education, for children.
He said an Australian permanent resident can save up to 80 per cent in tuition fee at universities compared to international students.
For instance, parents can save up to RM1 million for a six-year medicine course, RM300,000 for a four-year engineering course and up to RM 270,000 for an information technology (IT) course per child compared to international students.
Among other advantages of living in Australia are good healthcare system, work life balance, the political structure and well-established infrastructure.
However, migrants may also find a higher cost of living despite higher wages, and housing affordability issues in Australia, particularly in Sydney, he said.
Colbron said the Australian government has maintained a Highly Skilled Migrant Programme and Business Migration Programme for the past 20 years.
“Prior to the global financial crisis, the Australia Skilled Migration Programme was in excess of 130,000 people a year.
“Now the number has come down slightly, but it is still in excess of 100,000 each year,” he said, adding that the Australian government sets a quota for skilled migration each year.
Colbron said Malaysians who have migrated to Australia are adapting well to the life there.
“They (Malaysians) speak English, they are well-educated, well-skilled, find employment easily and a lot of them have families and friends network,” he said.
At AusAsia Borneo, applicants are provided with a free confidential assessment to determine their eligibility to migrate. Only those who are eligible will be taken through the application process.
Colbron claimed to have a success rate of close to 100 per cent to date.
He stressed the importance of going for an individual assessment, as each applicant has his or her own set of circumstances, which fit into different migration categories.
In terms of skilled migration, the major criteria taken into consideration are age, English proficiency, skills and qualifications, relevant and recent work experience.
He pointed out that the work experience of an applicant must be recent and relevant to the degree he or she obtained.
Currently the skills in demand in Australia include medical, nursing, engineering, information technology (IT) and the service trades such as mechanics and carpenters.
More information can be obtained from Colbron at 088-250779, 088-260779, through email to borneo@ausasia.net or visit AusAsia Borneo office at Suite 101, Level 10, Wisma Great Eastern, 65 Jalan Gaya, Kota Kinabalu.
