Proposed Visa Changes To Aussie Subclass 457

This is good news for immigrants wishing to find a job in Australia. Australia proposes to bring about changes in its subclass 457 visa, allowing temporary workers to get jobs easily. Earlier, the subclass visa was provisioned to allow employers recruit overseas workers or temporary hires when they fell short of skilled labour in permanent residents. In 2013, there was uproar over the misuse of this clause. Many resident Australians derided the Govt. and corporates for making use of cheap skilled temp workers, in regions and industries depriving them of jobs. People sounded that some of the employers were sourcing their skilled labour needs outside Australia without checking the availability locally. This led to the Govt introduction of labour market testing and other sub-clauses that specifies:

• Employers need to advertise for positions locally first
• If no suitable applicants are found then temp or overseas workers are to be opted for the position
• Documentary evidence of the process, advertisements and attempts to hire local workers need to be registered with the government

But these pro-resident clauses and labour testing made hiring complicated and time-taking. The temporary skilled worker visa program was criticized for being convoluted. This time round the Govt. has been asked to scrap labour market testing, make English language requirements easier and provide more support to sponsors. Speaking on this, Scott Morrison Immigration Minister opined that, ‘labour market testing was unlikely to be abolished. But changes will be made to English language requirements that seem to be unusually restrictive and acting more as an impediment rather than a check’. Immigrants and sourcing companies can now breathe a sigh of relief once the proposed changes are made. News Source- Visa Reporter For more news and updates on immigration and visas, please visit Y-Axis News