St Helena : St Helena The Immigration Points Based System
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Public Relations Information Office) 09.11.2011 (Article Archived on 23.11.2011)
The Points Based System is open for public consultation between 7th November and 21st November.
The Points Based System is open for public consultation between 7th November and 21st November.
The Immigration Points Based System
The Points Based System is open for public consultation between 7th November and 21st November.
The Immigration Service and the Home and International Committee will be holding two consultation sessions on the Immigration Points Based System.
Session 1: Monday 14th November 7pm
Session 2: Wednesday 16th November 7pm
Both sessions will be held at the Jamestown Community Centre. Invitations will be sent for each session, but all are welcome to attend. Please register your interest in advance with Priscilla Isaac, secretary to the Home and International Committee,
palo@sainthelena.gov.sh or on telephone number 2470
One to one sessions can also be arranged by request.
Questions and Answers on the Proposed Points Based System for Working Migrants
What is the Points Based System?
The Points Based System is a simple and transparent way of assessing applications by immigrants who wish to work in St. Helena. The Points Based System has two categories, the investor / entrepreneur category and the migrant worker category. The investor / entrepreneur category is for those people wishing to come to St. Helena to invest in the island. The migrant worker category is for persons wishing to come to St. Helena to either be employed by a firm or to work in a self-employed capacity. The system is flexible and can change in line with the needs of the island. Where there is local labour available to fill jobs, local people will be given priority. Points Based System aims to ensure that immigrants fill the jobs where there is no one locally to do the work.
Why are we looking to use the Points Based System?
We want to make the process for coming to St Helena to work more transparent and easy to understand through the Points Based System. It is a simple way to manage who does and doesn’t get the right to work in St. Helena. Points Based Systems are operated successfully in many other countries including the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
How does the Point Based System work?
The Points Based System assesses all immigrants wishing to work in St. Helena against set criteria. The criteria are different under the investor / entrepreneur category and the migrant worker category. Under the investor category immigrants will gain points based on how much they intend to invest, the number of jobs they will create and ability to speak English. Immigrants under the migrant worker category will gain points based on whether or not their profession is needed on the island, their experience in that profession, educational achievement and ability to speak English. These lists are not exhaustive and there are other points scoring criteria. Under either category an immigrant must score 100 points to be able to work in St. Helena but as demand on the island changes so too can the points requirements.
Will all arrivals to St. Helena be subject to the Points Based System?
The Points Based System will apply only to those people wishing to come to St. Helena to work for more than 6 months. Short term visitors (i.e. less than 6 months) who wish to work and long term visitors who do not wish to work, are not subject to the Points Based System, but are required to comply with other immigration requirements relating to short term or long term entry permits.
Won’t Immigrant Workers take jobs away from Saints?
This is what the Points Based System is designed to manage. It is a flexible system and points thresholds can change to meet the needs of the island at any given time. It is supported by a shortage occupation list, which highlights those professions that we know we do not have the skills to support on island. The list is regularly updated and professions can be added or taken off to help ensure that migrant labour is only used where the skills and resources are not available locally.
Will this make it harder for local businesses to employ immigrants?
No. The system is designed to make it easier for business owners to understand the immigration requirements and remove discretion from the system. Businesses have already told us what skills they expect to need to import over the coming months and years through the National Workforce Survey. Hiring people with the skills businesses need from overseas will be simpler and quicker under the new system, as there will be no requirement to advertise locally first, but where a skill is available on island the priority will still be given to Saints.
Will SHG consult on the Points Based System?
The initial plan for the Points Based System has been out to a limited circulation so that we can seek views and ensure that the proposal is workable. Following on the system will go out for full public consultation between 7th November and 21st November and everyone will have chance to comment.
Immigration
3rd November 2011
|
