Australian Immigration Campaign Launched In The UK
05/02/2008
The UK is cold and grey yet it doesn't stop young and skilled Aussies from crossing the ocean to this popular island. This migration has over the years lost Australia skilled workers to the UK. This year the Australian Government shakes up and fights back with a hard hitting campaign to try and lure English skilled workers to Aussie shores.
Australia launched a new campaign to try and promote Australian immigration to people in the UK, which will feature slogans such as "Screw Staines, hello Adelaide". The aggressive campaign will also feature phrases such "Sod London house prices" as the Australian government aims to promote Australian immigration in order to solve skills shortages.
Bill Muirhead, the founder partner of the M & C Saatchi advertising firm which has been appointed agent general of South Australia, told the Times: "It might appear we are being rude, but a lot of things in Britain aren't good. We went for Staines because it sounds nasty. . . I don't suppose the mayor of Staines is going to be too happy, but it could easily have been Slough or Croydon." The adverts will appear in UK newspapers from tomorrow.
The country is suffering from a skills drainage, as its well-qualified inhabitants depart to work overseas in industries such as sales, engineering, construction, marketing and PR, IT, accountancy, healthcare and recruitment to name but a few.
The Australian High Commission in London puts the current number of Australians in Britain at about 300,000, while the Office for National Statistics reveals that more than 1m Australians enter the country each year to work or play.
In September 2007 the Australian Government changed its immigration policy for the Highly Skilled Migration Visa by offering an extra five points to those who pass a basic English test. Under the program, points are awarded to potential immigrants according to their age, ability to speak languages, occupation, skills and experience. Immigrants who gain a total of 120 points are automatically fast-tracked through the migration process.
This tactic is reminiscent of the Ten Pound Poms an Aussie colloquial term describing British migrants who migrated to Australia post Second World War. The program attracted over one million British migrants between 1945 and 1972 and represented the last substantial scheme for preferential migration from Britain to Australia. The Government has no doubt the advertising campaign is aggressive and will work, however we'll have to wait a few more months to find out if that is so.
To find out more about the Australian Highly Skilled Visa and to explore the options for visiting or immigrating to Australia, visit the online assessment area today.
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