Tasmania: migrants wanted

The heart shaped island of Tasmania has added additional occupations to its skills in demand list, making it easier for migrants to make the move...

There's something rather mythical about Tasmania. To some, it is one of the best kept secrets of the Southern hemisphere, an island so stunning it is a true ecological treasure. To others, it is a backwater and often left off maps of Australia altogether.

Separated from the Southern tip of the Australian mainland by the 240-kilometre stretch of Bass Strait, Tasmania is the size of Ireland, with over a third of the state designated as a World Heritage Area, a refuge for rare plants and animals.

Well preserved historic villages dot the coastal rim, and the mountainous interior is a popular target for hikers.

Once mocked for its isolation, the island has now become something of a tourist mecca, popular with short haul visitors and migrants who are desperate to escape the rat race of modern life.

If you are hoping for a buzzing metropolis juxtaposed with stunning scenery, Tasmania is not for you. Whilst the elegant capital city, Hobart, has one of the most spectacular settings in the world- sitting astride the Derwent river in the shadow of Mount Wellington - it is not, nor will ever be, a shopping or nightlife hotspot. But then that's not usually what people wanting to emigrate to Tassie are looking for. 

I've been to Tasmania four times - I had barbecued turkey on Seven Mile Beach, 20 minutes drive from Hobart. I went wine tasting in the lush Tamar Valley and shopped for huon pine carvings and freshly caught lobster at Salamanca Market on the waterfront.

It is the most beautiful place I have ever been, but no matter how hard I tried, I could never see myself living there. I found the island's isolation totally overwhelming, despite it only being an hours flight from where I was living in Melbourne.

But, whilst geography proved a problem for me, to thousands of interested migrants, it is exactly that setting that is the big draw.

The Tasmanian State Government offers a range of sponsorships for skilled and business migrants and has just added additional occupations to their skills in demand list.

Tasmania's economy has developed rapidly in recent years and skills shortages have emerged in a number of professions and trades.

If you are a prospective skilled migrant who wishes to settle anywhere in Tasmania, Economic Development and Tourism can nominate or sponsor your visa application through the Skilled Sponsored visa or Skilled Regional Sponsored visa schemes.

To be eligible for sponsorship your occupation must be on the current 'skills in demand list' and you must demonstrate your commitment to live and work in Tasmania for at least two years.

Applicants with skills in demand within Tasmania will be given preference, although people with other occupations will be considered if they can demonstrate that they are able to settle and secure skilled employment, or start a business, easily.

You can see the updated skills in demand list by visiting www.development.tas.gov.au/migration/Tasmanian%20SS%20List.pdf

The downside of all this attention is that Tasmania is no longer the world's best-kept secret.

Picture by flickr