New Australian Program to Assist Overseas Engineers Get Jobs

Available reports suggest that - and contrary to a widely held belief, just one out of every two engineers, who are overseas-trained, may really get jobs in their specific and specialized domain in Australia. To positively address this matter, the creation of a new program is being mulled over in the involved nation that would cover not only the various facets of technical training, but also workplace culture and skills related to job-finding for the involved immigrant engineers.

Available statistics suggest that at the present, just 50% of the engineers born overseas and working in the country are working in their chosen domain, vis-a-vis 63% of Australian-born engineers. During the year of 2010, there were close to 9,000 engineers from abroad -- out of which nearly 2,500 are on the temporary visas of the country under the General Skilled Migration Program (GSM).

Meanwhile, a concerned person was quoted as saying that the key issue people from abroad face is thoroughly understand the work culture of the country - what they could expect in the workforce of the nation, and how best to become a part of the same. 

The program will be offered to a maximum of 20 engineers every few months. The first course, which successfully ran in the city of Perth during the month of January, saw applicant from several nations including India, the Philippines, and Pakistan, etc. The program is available to all trained engineers from abroad who have work rights in the Kangaroo Land even as this includes those possessing the nation's much-prized Permanent Residency (PR).

Indian Students in UK Not Entitled to Stay & Work, Post Studies

In an important move, which is not likely to go down well with the Indian students studying in the UK, Students from India, who go to the UK for higher study purposes, will be denied the permission to live in the country, for work purposes, after their education course, for which they may have arrived in the country, ends. This fresh ruling, made public before, has become effective now.

The repercussions of the development are already there for all to see. Reportedly, the number of immigration applications filed from India, for the various available university courses in Britain starting in September 2012, has already witnessed a significant decrease. That this development would trigger an additional decrease cannot be ruled out. 

The government before had allowed the students from abroad to duly apply for employment for not less than two years - with the only key condition being that they pay a visa fee of £500. In view of the prevailing high levels of unemployment plaguing the country, this is being done away with. 

But everything is still not lost for the Indian students. Entrepreneur graduates could still find work in Britain. Besides, though the overseas students may no longer work for two years in the country, after concluding their education, according to the Home Ministry of Britain, other avenues still exist for them. 

A case in point is the path still available under the Tier-II for the trained workers, who have sponsorship from a British job-provider. Graduate entrepreneur scheme for those with a nice business map is yet another path still open for the students from India. Meanwhile, a concerned person from the UK Immigration reportedly said that London is keen to inspire the very best and the most brilliant talents. 

Via the Tier-I (post-study work) path, Indian and other students from the non-EU nations were in a position to work for a maximum of two years in Britain after finishing-off their university courses. For the self-funding students from India, this was something to look forward to even as it permitted them to return a section of the loan they may have taken to turn-up in the UK, for study purposes. That the accompanying experience also boosted their job prospects back home was yet another incentive for them. 

Coming back to the ruling, hurdles have also been put in the way to allegedly prevent the bogus students from turning up on the British soils. Simultaneously, fly-by-night or fake colleges have been prevented from giving admission to the overseas students. Talking about the move, an involved person was quoted as saying that the earlier system was rather liberal. With there being hardly any curbs, it was being misused, and many individuals did low-skill jobs. 

The immigration minister of the nation seemed to conclude the issue when he reportedly observed that there is hardly any clash between financial development and managing immigration as the improved immigration system of the country may get both.

Good days in India, Check the new updated tax slabs and I-T exemption limits

Offering some respite to the common man, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today proposed that the personal income tax exemption limit will be raised to Rs 200,000 (Rs 2 lakh) from the existing Rs 180,000.

Thus persons earning up to Rs 2 lakh a year would not need to pay any tax. The finance minister also revised the income tax slabs. The new tax slabs and rates are as follows: 

• For annual income up to Rs 2 lakhs: No tax .
• For annual income from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh: Tax at 10% .
• For annual income from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh: Tax at 20% .
•  For annual income above Rs 10 lakh: 30% .
• The finance minister also said that interest earned up to Rs 10,000 per year would be tax free too. 
• No advance tax for senior citizens.
  
• Health insurance deduction up to Rs 5000 for preventive health checkup. FY13 market borrowing at Rs 4.79 lakh crore.
• Service tax net widened; to include most sectors.
• Negative list to include pre-school and high school education, entertainment services.Sale of residential property exempted from capital gains if invested in equity or equipment of an SME.
• All services to be taxed except those in negative list.
• There has been no change in corporate tax.