New one-year work visa with a lower skills and English language requirements proposed
More details have emerged about the new visa category designed to bridge the gap between the subclass 400 and 457 visas.
The department of immigration has proposed the introduction of a short term work visa that would allow companies to bring in foreign specialist’s workers to Australia for up to a year. The proposed visa is expected not to have the same language, skill and labour market testing requirements as the 457 visa and promises to reduce costs and visa processing times for employers.
The proposed “short-term mobility” subclass of visas would be available for “specialised work which may include intra-company transfers and foreign correspondents”, says a proposal paper obtained by The Australian Financial Review.
According to the AFR, the proposed visa is likely to replace the existing category 400 visa, which allows skilled or specialist entrants to work for up to six weeks. The report states that there were 4587 visas of this type granted when it was first offered in 2012-13. That jumped to 32,984 in 2013-14. Applicants are concentrated in mining, manufacturing, construction and education.
Employers have complained that the current 6-week limit on the sc 400 visa is too short for projects while the sc457 visa is riddled by red-tape, processing delays and high-costs.
Australian Mines and Metals Association director Scott Barklamb told the AFR that Australia would benefit from “mobile, highly skilled professionals who temporarily live and work where their specialised skills are most in need”. “Australians working in the resource sector often have opportunities to work and live temporarily all over the world and the Australian industry must similarly benefit from global engagement.”
According to the AFR, the short-term mobility subclass would include a visa valid for three months or a year. Candidates for the shorter visa could be bought in at the invitation of an Australian company. For the visa to be valid for up to 12 months, candidates would require a “statement of guarantee or undertaking from the Australian organisation detailing salary and any employment conditions reflective of the Australian standard for the duration of the stay must be provided”.
Source: Migration Alliance
