Despite cooling weather, bushfires continue to burn across Australia, as firefighters work tirelessly to put them out.

Blazing bushfires aside, Australia remains a popular spot for South Africans looking to start over on another continent.

Over the past two years, the number of South Africans enquiring about Australian visas has more than doubled.

While you might not be keen to make the move right this minute (much of the country is currently engulfed in smoke), the fires won’t last forever, and it looks like there are some pretty exciting job opportunities up for grabs.

Over to Fin24:

An Australian skills shortage in certain categories is attracting increased interest from South Africans who are experts in these fields, Jamie-Lee Krumm, a migration assistant at Sable International, tells Fin24.

The “most wanted” skills needed include medicine, education, ICT, engineering, trade workers like electricians, plumbers and carpenters, as well as those in the arts.

Those are the standard job openings, but there are also some stranger ones. Australia is currently desperately in need of horse riding instructors, landscape gardeners, acupuncturists, naturopaths, and pig farmers.

If we’re not careful, the whole of Noordhoek is going to end up there.

For those keen to fill the gap, you’ll need a Temporary Skill Shortage visa.

This visa temporarily allows an employer to sponsor a suitably skilled worker to fill a position in their Australian business.

This visa also lets someone who qualifies establish their business in Australia and provides a pathway from temporary to permanent residence. The visa allows you to work in Australia for up to four years and, if eligible, you can apply for permanent residence.

Krumm believes that Australia understands the importance of importing skilled workers. She also wants South Africans to make sure that they’re tax compliant before applying.

That new expat tax is looming, so you might want to wait for that to come into effect before making any major life changes.

Or you could just drop that hashtag #ImStaying and stick it out in sunny South Africa.

[source:fin24]