Migrate to Australia: crackdown on 457 visas
16 November 2016 by News DeskMigrate to Australia could become harder under a plan by Labor to crack down on 457 visas.
Migrate to Australia will remain a viable option for skilled workers but opposition Labor party leader Bill Shorten says he would introduce more rigorous requirements for 457 visas.
Labor’s new plan would require employers to look for Australians to fill vacant positions before hiring workers from overseas.
“The government’s first priority must be ensuring workers in Australia can find good local jobs and ensuring businesses are training and employing local workers,” Shorten said.
“Labor will toughen the rules to make sure that where there are local workers ready and willing to work, employers will have to advertise and genuinely try to fill jobs locally before recruiting from overseas.
Migrate to Australia: crackdown on 457 visas
The Aussie Labor party’s proposed new rules for the 457 program include:
- A mandatory requirement for all jobs to be advertised as part of labour market testing obligations
- A requirement that jobs be advertised for a minimum of four weeks
- A requirement for labour market testing to have been conducted no more than four months before the nomination of a 457 visa worker
- A ban on job advertisements that target only overseas workers or specified visa class workers to the exclusion of Australian citizens and permanent residents
- A crackdown on job ads that set unrealistic and unwarranted skills and experience requirements for vacant positions, with the effect of excluding otherwise suitable Australian applicants
Opposition leader Bill Shorten also proposes changes to employer-sponsored visas. He highlighted employers in the construction industry that have more than 15% of their workforce made up of 457 visa holders, and those with five or more 457 visa holders.
But Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull hit back at Shorten’s proposals, saying: “This is just a distraction on the part of Mr Shorten designed to cover up the divisions in the Labor party.
“Mr Shorten should stop his hypocritical complaints about skilled migration and stand with the government in saying no to illegal migration and no to people smugglers.”
Darrell Todd, founder of thinkingaustralia, says: “These new proposals are a measure put forward by the opposition. The Australian government has no current plans to change the 457 visa program”.
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