Program bringing more construction tradies to WA extended

• Program attracting more construction workers to WA extended
• Construction Visa Subsidy Program will continue for a further 12 months to help industry meet ongoing demand for workers
• Cook Government committed to boosting construction workforce and getting homes built sooner

The Cook Government has announced plans to extend its Construction Visa Subsidy Program (CVSP) after 1,100 allocated places for skilled migrants were snapped up by employers in 12 months.

The program is designed to help building and construction businesses engage skilled migrant workers, filling positions that are unable to be filled locally to help speed up delivery of homes across WA.

The CVSP will be extended for an additional 12 months to support the building and construction industry to meet its ongoing demand for skilled workers and get homes built sooner.

Under the program, businesses can access payments of up to $10,000 to offset costs such as migration agent fees, visa application fees and relocation expenses.

Since the CVSP was announced as part of the 2023-24 State Budget, it has supported Western Australian employers - most of which are small and medium businesses - to navigate the complexities of Australia's visa system to engage skilled migrants as part of their workforce.

In addition to the subsidies, the State Government's Construction Migration Office also provides each business that applies for the CVSP with end-to-end support throughout the process.

Skilled migrants have commenced work in a diverse range of in-demand building and construction occupations, including air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics, roof plumbing, carpentry, glazing, electrical services, bricklaying, civil engineering, plastering, cabinet making and wall and floor tiling.

The majority of skilled migrants under the CVSP to date have been from the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Ireland and Italy.

Comments attributed to Premier Roger Cook:

"WA's strong economy and enviable lifestyle are driving significant demand for housing and my Government is doing everything we can to boost our construction workforce, so we can get more homes built for Western Australians.

"We're committed to continuing to create quality local jobs for local people, but acknowledge we need to attract skilled workers to grow our residential construction workforce.

"It's great that our Construction Visa Subsidy Program has received such strong support from industry and is already resulting in more tradies on the ground.

"This program 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."

Comments attributed to Training and Workforce Development Minister Simone McGurk:

"The Construction Visa Subsidy Program is helping to get more boots on the ground in WA.

"There has been a surge in demand from employers following the establishment of the Construction Migration Office and the launch of our marketing campaign.

"We've now hit our target, with all 1,100 places being snapped up. Hundreds of those workers are now working on building sites, with many more progressing through the immigration system.

"The feedback we're getting from employers who have taken up this opportunity is overwhelmingly positive.

"Expanding this program 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."

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