Can you imagine a story like this here in the United States? The Australian government says its tired of attracting “hairdressers and cooks” and wants to attract more “doctors and engineers.”

If the U.S. government were to say ” We want fewer gardeners, cab drivers and garbage men” the American media would drum the offending elected official from office.

The Australian government has announced that it is to refocus its immigration strategy on attracting highly skilled migrants to fulfill shortages in particular industries.

It says it will reject some 20,000 Australian visa applications from low-skilled workers in an attempt to award more work visas to highly skilled migrants. The move is a response to increasing demand from China, which required greater resources to fuel its growth.

Industries like mining have welcomed the announcements as fears were growing that it would suffer severe skills shortages in the coming years.

Steve Knott of the Australian Mines and Metals Associations explained, “we need the people on the job now and the demand going forward will be even greater as these projects get off the ground.”

The international student industry is expected to suffer as a result of the changes, as the focus switches from attracting young students to study in Australia to attracting experienced workers to work in Australia.

Australian immigration minister Chris Evans put it simply, “we want to make sure we’re getting the high-end applicants.” He says that the immigration drive will focus on attracting health workers and people who work in engineering and mining.

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