Welcome to Australia Blog

A Great Australian Farm Stay

457 Visa up-date

The 457 visa program plays an important role in the Australian economy says the Australian Immigration department.

The 457 is an uncapped temporary visa program entirely driven by employer demand for skills that are not available locally. It allows employers to access the skills they need, with the overseas workers then returning home when those skills are no longer required.

Given the growth in the size of the program it has become increasingly important that the 457 visa program complements domestic recruitment and training initiatives to meet the skill needs of industry and does not seek to replace them.

Alongside that growth, community concerns grew over the exploitation of overseas workers and the undermining of local wages and conditions after cases of some employers abusing the program emerged through 2005 – 2007. The vast majority of these cases involved trades’ level 457 visa holders with little or no English language skills who often lacked the technical skills claimed.

It was in response to the widespread concern about these abuses that the Government made it a priority to improve the integrity of the 457 visa and restore public confidence in the program.

The 2008 Budget included a number of immediate measures to address those concerns, including an increase to the minimum salary level (MSL) for the first time in two years, the passage of legislation to enhance monitoring and sanction powers and funding for increased compliance activity.

These 2008 measures also included the appointment of AIRC Commissioner Barbara Deegan to review the integrity of the 457 visa program through 2008 and the establishment of the Skilled Migration Consultative Panel to contribute towards the development of longer-term reforms to be introduced in 2009.

Seven measures announced:

• The indexation of the minimum salary level (MSL) for all new and existing 457 visa holders by 4.1% on 1 July 2009, in line with all employees’ total earnings last year as reported by the ABS. This ensures that the wages of overseas workers keep pace with local wages.
• The implementation of a market based minimum salary for all new and existing 457 visa holders from mid September 2009, to ensure overseas workers are not exploited and local wages and conditions are not undermined (a key recommendation of the Deegan Review).
• Increasing the existing minimum language requirement from 4.5 IELTS to 5 IELTS for 457 visa applicants in trade occupations and chefs, to address concerns about the exploitation of workers from non-English speaking countries and align the 457 visa English language standard with the permanent sponsored visa for trades’ occupations.
• Progressively introducing formal skills assessment from 1 July 2009 for 457 visa applicants from high risk immigration countries in trade occupations and chefs. The Government will consult with stakeholders in finalising an assessment framework that reflects Australian standards and meets the expectations of Australian workplaces.
• Introducing a requirement that employers seeking access to the 457 visa program have a strong record of, or demonstrated commitment to, employing local labour and non-discriminatory employment practices. This will help address concerns that some employers may discriminate against local labour in hiring overseas workers.
• The development of training benchmarks to clarify the existing requirement on employers to demonstrate a commitment to training local labour.
• The extension of the labour agreement pathway to all ASCO 5 – 7 occupations, to ensure that employers using the 457 visa program to access these occupations satisfy obligations on local training and employment.

Mosquitoes – The Biting Season.

Tips and myths.
Since moving to Australia we’ve been fairly lucky when it comes to mosquitoes. There were few around, but now with all the rain, there are plenty about.

We try the Vitamin B tablets (there are child forms) and cooking with Garlic as solutions. There’s no avoiding various lotions and potions to repel or table top burners and lights.

As well as itchy bites, in Queensland in the past, there was a Dengue fever outbreak. Dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes to humans that can cause fatalities. Fevers, aches and pains as some of the symptoms. Whilst councils spay mosquito breading grounds it’s worth taking care.