‘The new scheme will be made up of two streams, one short term (issued for two years) and one medium term (issued for up to four years for “more focused occupation lists”). Both of these will be subject to labour market testing including a requirement for two years of work experience, a market salary rate assessment and a new non-discriminatory workforce test.
‘As of June 30, 2016 there were 94,890 primary 457 visa holders in Australia. This means the total number of primary 457 visa holders who are sponsored by an employer is equal to less than 1% of the Australian labour market. This proportion rises if international students, backpackers and other temporary migrants are included.
‘The number of eligible occupations for the new types of visas will be shortened by 216, with 268 available for the two year visa and 167 for the longer four year visa. Applicants will also now have to meet English language requirements and undergo a criminal check.
‘… A deficiency with these changes is that it fails to address a core problem in the regulation of the 457 visa. The two new visa streams will still rely on employer-conducted labour market testing to ascertain which jobs will be available to temporary migrant workers.
‘Although the occupational shortage list for the two new visa streams is being cut down by one third from over 600 occupations to just shy of 400, employers will still be required to provide evidence to the Department of Immigration of failed recruitment efforts. The problem with this is that it penalises decent employers by increasing the red tape on them.’
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- Australia’s move to restrict migrant intake reflects broader global trend »
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- Labor’s crackdown on temporary visa requirements won’t much help Australian workers »
- ‘I will never come to Australia again’: new research reveals the suffering of temporary migrants during the COVID-19 crisis »
- Let top students and skilled workers stay to drive economic recovery »
- Why Australian unions should welcome the new Agricultural Visa »
- Closing the loophole: a minimum wage for Australia’s farm workers is long overdue »
- New Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme offers more flexibility … for employers »
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- Australia is creating an underclass of exploited farm workers, unable to speak up »
- It’s time Australia dumped its bureaucratic list-based approach to temporary work visas »
- Election 2022: Labor to change short-term visa holder, permanent residency requirements »
- Australia’s temporary visa system is unfair, expensive, impractical and inconsistent. Here’s how the new government could fix it »
- Labor plans to stamp out the exploitation of migrant workers, but it won’t succeed until we treat it like tax avoidance
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Malcolm Turnbull forges ‘values’ into political ploughshares
Michelle Grattan writes in The Conversation (20.4.17) about the Turnbull government’s proposed changes to immigration rules and Australian citizenship requirements, with critics arguing that the changes risk making Australian citizenship too hard to attain, and potentially creating a two-tier system of permanent residency.
‘Malcolm Turnbull’s spectacular elevation of “Australian values” raises questions about the Prime Minister’s own values. In particular, has he once again forfeited his political integrity?
‘This week’s targeting of foreign skilled workers and the new, tougher citizenship requirements smack of a desperate effort to tap into community concerns and insecurities, whether those fears are about jobs prospects, ethnic crime gangs, or terrorism.
‘A few years ago Turnbull, as a cabinet minister, would likely have challenged aspects of such measures if they were brought forward. Now, with Peter Dutton pushing him along, Turnbull is unashamedly exploiting anti-foreign and anti-Muslim sentiments as part of a wider strategy to try to combat bad polls, stop leakage to Pauline Hanson, wedge Bill Shorten, and gain some positive traction.’
- Malcolm Turnbull forges ‘values’ into political ploughshares »
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- What the new Australian citizenship test says about Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership »
- Malcolm Turnbull puts soundbites before substance in flawed comeback strategy »
- English language bar for citizenship likely to further disadvantage refugees »
- Effects of temporary migration: shaping Australia’s society and economy »
- Selecting what matters: skill shortages are no basis for picking permanent migrants »
- Australia still suffering critical skilled worker shortages despite decades of mass immigration »
- Blaming migrants for Australia’s lower wages growth is easy but too simplistic »
- A global battle for low-skilled workers looms after COVID. Australia needs to be part of it »
- Australia needs better working conditions, not shaming, for Pacific Islander farm workers »
- Australia’s new agricultural work visa could supercharge the forces of exploitation »
- Fixing temporary skilled migration: a better deal for Australia »
- More permanent skilled visas are a big deal. The government is heading in the right direction »
- Australia is bringing migrant workers back – but exploitation is still rampant. Here are 3 changes needed now »
- Government to overhaul asylum claim system, saying false applicants are exploiting long wait times