The US has a very similar requirement for their visa (I'm specifically referring to E3, which is the H1B for Australians) which only lets in 'skilled' people, defined by a university degree (or 3 years of work experience for every 1 year of degree, so a total of 9-12 years).

It was pretty disheartening to get a job offer from a big tech firm in New York only to have any chances shot down because of visa...