Despite workforce shortages, some temporary residents are studying for years at high costs without the guarantee of a permanent visa, according to a migration agency.
Finnish woman Riina Haapala said she was still trying to make Australia her home despite having lived in Queensland for seven years on multiple temporary visas.
Her former employer at a cattle ranch wanted to sponsor her to stay, but no visas were granted in the relevant category.
"I have been here most of my adult life now and I really like the lifestyle here, and the climate and the culture," she said.
"I know that I'm not Australian yet, but I feel like I belong here more than I belong to Finland."
Ms Haapala said she was studying a Certificate III in painting and decorating in the hope of qualifying for a permanent visa.
She estimated it would cost her more than $30,000 in study, visa and lawyer fees.
How the system works
Under Australia's migration system, people qualified for a profession on the government's skilled occupation lists could lodge an expression of interest for a visa.
The skilled visa stream has two categories: Employer-sponsored and general-skilled migration visas, with the latter including both independent visas and visas nominated by states and territories.
General skilled migration is for workers who don't have an employer sponsoring them but who qualify for a listed occupation and pass a points test.
Candidates are given a point score based on factors such as age, English skills and education, and wait to receive an invitation to apply through a government system called SkillSelect.
Maintained by the Department of Home Affairs, occupations are added to and removed from the skilled lists based on the skills needed in the economy.
'No guarantee' of success
Gold Coast migration agent Matheus Da Silva said migrants who invested money and years of their lives to qualify took huge risks as "there's no guarantee" of a permanent visa.
He said some worked multiple jobs to pay for study and visa fees, only to have their hopes dashed when occupations were taken off the list or policies changed.
"And then, unfortunately, four years later the Australian dream becomes the Australian nightmare," Mr Da Silva said.
"If you're born and bred in Australia, you will never understand the frustration.
"[You] might wake up on Monday next week, and there are less or more occupations being introduced to the list. We never know."
Australia may be losing workers
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows 28 per cent of Australian businesses are reporting vacancies as of November 2022.
Mr Da Silva said applicants should not waste time on courses that offered no visa pathway.
"If you're ready to start the process, don't wait until next month, don't even wait until tomorrow, because it might be too late," he said.
Some of Mr Da Silva's clients had migrated to New Zealand or Canada after having their occupations taken off the list.
"It's a shame because it can potentially lead Australia to lose skilled workers to other countries and you need skilled workers more than ever," he said.
"[We need] more people working for the Department of Home Affairs processing visas, invitations being issued more frequently."
Review expected next month
The federal government last year increased the number of permanent visas available and cut the backlog of unprocessed visas down from almost a million to 600,000.
A review of the migration system is expected in February.
A department spokesperson says the skilled occupation lists are used for "identifying occupations in Australia where there is a genuine skills need and where migration is an appropriate solution".
The government is currently assessing the effectiveness of the skilled occupation lists and the possible expansion of permanent residency pathways for temporary skilled sponsored workers, the spokesperson said.
The lists were last updated in 2019, as a proposed March 2020 update did not proceed due to the COVID pandemic.
Ms Haapala said she needed to complete her study and work experience, which took at least three years, before she could lodge her expression of interest.
While she plans to return to Finland after her studies, Ms Haapala hopes painting trades remains a listed occupation so she can secure a permanent visa.
"They make you jump through a lot of hoops," Ms Haapala said.
"Now it's just more, 'flow with everything and see what happens' because that's all I can do."
