Great News for the Australian Video Games Development Industry as Game Jobs Are Added to the Priority Visa List
With the Australian video game industry poised for further expansion, and on the back of the Government’s announcement of a Digital Games Tax Offset, IGEA has been working closely with the Department of Home Affairs on the important issue of migration. IGEA was therefore thrilled when the federal Government announced the doubling of their priority occupations for skilled visas, which will have a direct impact on our industry. The twenty-two newly included occupations will be given priority processing for migration and travel exemptions, although they will still be subject to domestic quarantine caps.
IGEA was able to provide valuable input into the structure of the program. As a result, the games industry can take advantage of prioritised visa processing and bypass travel restrictions for those positions classified under “Multimedia Specialists” and “Software Engineers”.
The most relevant occupation to the games development industry is the Multimedia Specialist role (ANZSCO code 261211), a role defined by the government as performing the following tasks:
Creates and manipulates computer animation, audio, video and graphic image files into multimedia programs to produce data and content for CD-ROMs, information kiosks, multimedia presentations, websites, mobile telephone resources, electronic gaming environments, e-commerce and e-security solutions, and entertainment and education products.
This code now accommodates a range of roles such as technical artists, 3D artists, and development directors as well as graphics and rendering engineers.
Further, the Priority List also includes the Software Engineer (ANZSCO code 261313), which accommodates roles such as:
- A.I Programmer
- Senior programmer
- Lead programmer
- Engine programmer
- Lead Engineer
- Senior Engineer
- Technical director
- Senior Tools programmer
- Build Tools Engineer
Most importantly, both occupations are part of the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List, which offers a pathway to permanent residency. As such, offering Australian studios an advantage in the global quest for talent.
IGEA invites members interested in taking advantage of this visa category to reach out to us directly in order for us to assist with basic recommendations (or connect you to people that can) to ensure that the technical skills of the talent you are attracting fits into the appropriate ANZCO code for the Multimedia Specialist and Software Engineer and therefore gets preferential treatment.