Skilled migrants looking to make their dreams come true and make the move down under may just have been presented with the opportunity that they’ve been waiting for.

It was announced last week that an iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, which is expected to commence production in 2014/15, will require close to 10,000 workers during the mines construction period. A spokesperson stated that 2,000 Australians will be recruited for “highly paid” permanent positions by the time the mine opens but the remaining 8,000 will need to be recruited from elsewhere.

At present Western Australia has more than £195 billion worth of resources either under way or planned. This means that there are skill shortages across all aspects of the projects. With all the existing and upcoming projects scheduled, the state is predicted to face a shortfall of up to 150,000 skilled workers by 2017.

With new mines opening all the time in Western Australia, Southern Australia and Queensland, it is apparent that the increased job requirements will present the perfect opportunity for people in the UK who are looking to emigrate to Australia permanently.

This news will be particularly welcome to those who are concerned about the new skilled migration system – “SkillSelect” – set to come into force in July this year. Concerns have been expressed that the new system will make skilled migration markedly harder. The new rules are based more directly on Australia’s economic needs and will enable the government to better manage who is able to apply for skilled migration as well as when they can apply and on what basis.

Under the new rules prospective skilled migrants will be required to complete an Expression of Interest (EOI). After this, they may or may not be invited to submit a visa application or, if they are lucky they might be nominated for a skilled visa by an Australian employer or a state government.

These new rules mean that visa applications are likely to become a far more lengthy process, the number of immigrants will be more limited, the process will be more selective and the fact remains that even if the skilled worker meets all of the desired criteria, there is still no guarantee that they will be invited to apply.

The introduction of the new rules has led to a surge of applications from people eager to have their skilled migrant visa granted before they miss their chance. The good news is that although the rules are becoming stricter, there is also an ever increasing amount of jobs in Australia and the government can’t ignore the fact that they need to be filled with workers from overseas.

To guarantee you follow the correct application procedures and increase your chances of being granted a visa for Australia it’s advisable to seek advice from a certified migration agent, such as Taylor Hampton Solicitors. Remember to make sure that any agent you use is registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) and a Member of the Migration Institute of Australia (MIA).

For details of property for sale in Australia, visit the Australia listings on Rightmove Overseas. One way to save money when emigrating to Australia, or buying property there, is to use a currency specialist when transferring your pounds into dollars. For more information on this, contact Smart Currency Exchange.

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in Australia, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘Australia Property Buying Guide’