Popular work visa programme used by Indian workers scrapped

One of Australia’s popular working visa programmes has been scrapped, to tackle growing unemployment figures. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the visas would be abolished in April last year with the promise he would replace the programme.

According to the Finacial Express the employer-sponsored 457 visa programme was used by 95,000 workers, many of which were Indian. The visa let people live with immediate family in Australia and was designed as a way to fill understaffed areas of the Australian job force. Indian workers accounted for a quarter of the job force while foreigners from the UK and China made up 19.5 per cent of the workforce.

One of the major criticisms of the program that was was too accessible, another was that too many migrant workers were taking jobs that Aussie’s could fill.

Bob Birrell, the head of the Australian Population Research Institute, recently hit out at Australia’s immigration program calling it “deeply flawed”. Birrell was involved in a study that revealed Australia is accepting immigrants who are unlikely to get jobs once settled.

The study confirmed that Australia is accepting many immigrants who have skills in already oversupplied fields, this makes it hard for immigrants to find employment, which in turn causes strain on the taxpayer purse.

“The great majority of those visaed in the skill program are professionals, an increasing share of whom hold occupations that are oversupplied,” Birrell notes in the report. “On the other hand, [the skill program] is delivering a negligible number of construction trade workers.”

“This is despite housing industry claims that continued skilled migration is crucial to supplying the workers needed to provide the housing and infrastructure to accommodate Australia’s booming population,” Birrell adds.

Australia’s need for more trade workers was also highlighted in a study by jobs website Adzuna which revealed that although many young Australians are looking for work, they’re turning their noses up at trade jobs.

The new visa, which came into effect on March 18 will require a higher English proficiency on top of job skills. An official statement issued by Department of Home Affairs, revealed that a criminal check will also be part of the new programme.

Another reform to the program includes a minimum market salary rate for foreign workers. This ensures foreign workers can’t be employed to undercut Aussies. Employers of foreign workers will also have added training responsibilities to provide better working outcomes.

Do you think this is a good move? Do you think this will help with unemployment?