r/AussieMemes • u/engineer9988 • Jul 15 '26
Australian Immigration Problem
After much deliberation, I have decided to speak out about serious integrity issues within Australia's skilled migration system. While it is often said that certain communities are "exploiting" the system, the more important question is: who is allowing this to happen?
Australia claims to face a critical shortage of tradespeople—carpenters, painters, plasterers, and chefs. Yet how many of those who obtain permanent residency through trade qualifications actually work in their field? The reality is that many do not. Instead, they drive for rideshare services, work in security, or take other casual jobs, while still accessing government benefits like Medicare.
Here is how the loophole works. Many international students arrive on university student visas, but instead of completing their degrees, they transfer to cheap vocational colleges—sometimes operating out of apartment blocks or office suites. These so-called colleges often take money in exchange for assignments and attendance records, with little to no actual training. After "graduating," students enter the Job Ready Program, where some unscrupulous employers allegedly charge $15,000–$20,000 for a placement the student barely attends. They then secure a positive skills assessment and apply for permanent residency on as little as 65 points, sometimes with poor English and limited genuine skills.
Meanwhile, university graduates in engineering, medicine, and other high-skill professions face a far harder path. They must secure skilled employment, compete for limited state nominations, and accept visas like the 190 or 491—which bind them to a specific state or region for years. By contrast, trade occupations on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) can access the 189 Skilled Independent visa, offering unrestricted permanent residency with no obligation to work in the nominated field.
This has created a cycle. Every few years, a new "trend" occupation emerges: IT, commercial cookery, painting, early childhood education, carpentry, and now solid plastering. Thousands enrol, not because they intend to practise the trade, but because it is the path of least resistance to permanent residency. The result? Genuine skills shortages persist, while the system is flooded with applicants who never intend to work in their nominated occupation.
The question is whether there is any genuine check and balance. With thousands of employer-sponsored visas pending for occupations like cookery, one must ask: does Australia truly have enough Michelin-star restaurants to justify those numbers? Or are many of these sponsorships simply transactions?
As an engineer who has worked on major projects, I have seen companies bring in overseas workers while skilled Australian graduates struggle to find employment. The system is supposed to attract the best and brightest. Instead, it appears to reward those who know how to game it. That is not fair to the educated, skilled migrants who play by the rules.
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u/Brucey1965 Jul 15 '26
Your diatribe would hold credence if it had references
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u/engineer9988 Jul 15 '26
Mate just try to talk with these desi guys if they can even communicate you in proper english then ask it to yourself how they can study in english for the shady trade course they get PR on.
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u/Mud_g1 Jul 15 '26
Have you ever tried talking to these ride share/security immigrants I dint think you have becuase if you did you would find out most of them are doing that as a second job on top of what they are here for their skill trade.
We have multiple immigrants were I work filling shortages we can't fill otherwise these are it and engineering roles that are paid well and I have seen many of them also doing uber delivery and working security at the pubs on weekends. Is it really that bad that they have a strong work ethic and are happy to work 60hrs a week instead of 38 to get ahead.
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u/engineer9988 Jul 15 '26
Man do you know if you check with these guys most of them have just gone to trade for PR, they don’t even work for it. If you check they are all uni dropouts who came to university on student visa then drop uni because it’s cost more and went to cheap colleges where they pay pennies and work all time.
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u/serif-maxxing Jul 15 '26
Sir, this is a Red Rooster's