Extension comes amid massive uptake among employers
The Western Australia government is extending for another 12 months the Construction Visa Subsidy Programme (CVSP) after strong uptake by employers.
The CVSP was developed to help building and construction employers engage with migrant workers to fill vacancies that can’t be filled locally.
Under the programme, businesses can receive up to $10,000 to offset various costs, such as migration agent fees, visa application fees, and relocation expenses. They also receive end-to-end support from the Construction Migration Office throughout the process.
"Expanding this programme for the next 12 months will make more places available, so more WA employers can access up to $10,000 to offset costs such as visa application fees and relocation expenses," said Training and Workforce Development Minister Simone McGurk in a statement.
Strong employer support
The extension comes after a strong uptake among employers within 12 months, with 1,100 allocated places for skilled migrants snapped up.
According to the WA government, majority of the skilled migrants under the CVSP are from the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Ireland, and Italy.
There are now working in a variety of roles in the building and construction sector, such as air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics, roof plumbing, carpentry, glazing, electrical services, bricklaying, civil engineering, plastering, cabinet making, as well as wall and floor tiling.
"It's great that our Construction Visa Subsidy Programme has received such strong support from industry and is already resulting in more tradies on the ground," said Premier Roger Cook in a statement.
"This programme is not only helping small and medium businesses get the workers they need - it's developing a pipeline of construction workers to deliver more homes for now and the future."
The CVSP was first announced as part of the 2023-24 State Budget to help the building and construction industry find talent and get homes built in the state sooner.
