There have been some arguments recently about current immigration policy which puts ICT category high on the list of preferred professions despite downturn in the industry sector. 

According to the article written by Caitlin Fitzsimmons, the Federal Government is ramping up its intake of migrants with IT qualifications, despite many professionals finding it impossible to secure a job in the sector. 

Thousands of local IT jobs were lost in 2001. But 44,730 skilled migrants were granted visas in the 2000/01 year, according to figures from the Department of Immigration - an 86 per cent increase on 1995/96, when 24,100 were granted visas.  

Now, the Federal Government plans to increase the intake to 53,500 this year.  

Despite the downturn in the technology sector, the ICT category is high on the list of preferred professions. One in four people who applied for the skilled migration program did so in the ICT category and the intake of IT professionals was second only to general managers.  

But despite the current oversupply, some leaders of the IT industry are supportive of moves to increase the intake of migrants with technology skills.  

Fujitsu Australia chairman Neville Roach said Australia needed to import migrants with IT skills now to avoid another skill shortage later.  

However, Mr Roach admitted that industry had exaggerated the extent of the IT skill shortage in 1999-2000 and the numbers quoted were "excessive".  

But he warned Australia was not a "buyer's market". Skilled professionals looking to emigrate usually had their pick of destinations and Australia was not the first choice, ranking behind the US, Canada, the UK and sometimes New Zealand.  

"You've got to have a medium to long-term strategy," Mr Roach said. "If we cut back when you've got a slight increase in unemployment and only bring in people when we've got a shortage of jobs, we will be doing things very expensively and we will not get the people here quickly when we need them."  

But Labor's immigration spokeswoman, Julia Gillard, disagreed.  

"If people in industry want an excess of professionals floating around against the day they need them, that's not a strategy," Ms Gillard said.  

Relevant skills declined with disuse, she warned. "The skilled migration scheme needs to meet contemporary needs, not the needs of yesterday."  

If you are a ICT professional or student who is considering to apply Australia P.R., you'd better make the decision quick in case of the immigration policy changes. Information technology industry will recover soon or later, it's just a matter of time. However, if the Australian Government changed immigration policy, you would be the person who is going to miss out the opportunity.