Finding job in Australia may become easier

People who are looking for a job overseas and have opted for Australia to be their new home may find it easier to do so as changes to the main immigration programme for temporary workers are under discussion.

When finding work in Australia, foreigners most probably have to apply for the Subclass 457 visa, or temporary skilled worker visa. This visa enables employers to fill skills shortages by recruiting qualified overseas workers where appropriately skilled Australians are unavailable.

However, over the years restrictive measures have made it more complicated for employers and overseas workers alike to comply with the imposed requirements.

These restrictions have been picked up by the Australian government and recommendations have been made for a more accessible visa programme.

Outlined in a government-commissioned report on the 457 visa programme were recommendations such as the abolishment of labour market testing; changes to English language requirements for 457 visa applicants; changes to market salary rate rules and more support for trusted legitimate sponsors.

Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison welcomed the report, looking positively at the possibility of change.

“The English language requirements are unnecessarily restrictive, serving more as an industrial lock-out rather than an honest attempt to ensure appropriate language skills which the government does believe is important,” he was quoted as saying.

He hinted towards a reduction on the income bar for exemption from market rate assessment, and said that the procedure for trusted sponsors could be simplified.

However, he said labour market testing was unlikely to be abolished.

Since November 23, 2013, Labour Market Testing has been enacted as a requirement for the visa.

Rather than merely being encouraged to recruit workers from the local labour market, employers are required to provide evidence of their efforts to do so, in the form of advertising vacancies, local recruitment drives and active involvement in domestic career expositions.

These efforts would have to be made from at least four months prior to sponsoring a 457 visa for a position, with the intention of avoiding misuse of the possibility of hiring overseas labourers at the cost of the local workforce.

According to the report, the measure had proven ineffective in the Australian context. “It is (…) clear from coverage in the media and through our consultation process that any Australians who are struggling to find work perceive 457 visa holders as a threat.

“However, the evidence put to us lends little support to these more negative views that have formed around the programme,” reads the report.

Morrison agreed that the measures put in place were restrictive, however, abolishment of these measures would be controversial, and other changes could lead to an improvement of the accessibility of the programme.
 

Since 2011 Australia has seen a sharp increase in the number of applicants through the 457 visa programme, with 66,000 primary visa grants each year.

However, since the changes made in July, 2013 the number of grants were greatly reduced across all occupations.

To read more about the recent changes,  click here.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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