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Breaking Australian immigration news brought to you by Migration Alliance and associated bloggers.
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Coalition supports 457 visas and slashes red tape
Migration Alliance members will be extremley pleased with the following news in The Australian today:
The Coalition has vowed to remove "union red tape" on 457 visas as business steps up its demands for the turn-around of Labor's baseless stomping on the scheme designed to bring overseas skilled workers to Australia. Annabel Hepworth writes:
In a closed-door speech yesterday, Australian Mines and Metals Association chief executive Steve Knott advocated the dumping of Labor's "pre-election, last-minute, politically driven, ill-considered, unnecessary and cumbersome" labour market testing requirements for 457 visas.
The testing requirements were introduced by the Rudd government amid claims of "widespread employer rorting" and require companies to demonstrate that they have tried for four months to recruit Australians before nominating a foreign worker for a 457 visa.
The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Scott Morrison, said last night: "We strongly opposed these measures in opposition and will be consulting on how best to cut union red tape on 457s, while maintaining legitimate protections that support the integrity of the scheme.
Three cheers for Scott Morrison - HIP HIP HOORAY! HIP HIP HOORAY! HIP HIP HOORAY!
Comments
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Friday, 18 October 2013So, this is a vow from a politician and u r extremely pleased about it ? Oh boy, it is very positive attitude...
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Friday, 18 October 2013
I have had personal feedback from people who have lost jobs and been replaced with 457 visa holders so it is happening. Why wouldn't it ? If you can bring in someone and pay them a lower salary because you don't have to offer a competitive salary for the Australian market, why wouldn't a business do this ? It happens in many other countries where lower paid workers from Asia are "imported" to do work at lower salaries.
There needs to be a rational approach that ensures employers are not continuing to rort the system and are required to give precedence to local workers first.
What I don't know is how wide spread these rorts are, but if companies can save money by doing it then of course they will and it's likely then to be widespread. -
Friday, 18 October 2013
I doubt very much that this is a wide spread issue - in fact it is the complete opposite. There is no evidence to suggest 457 visa holders are paid less than equivalent Australians other than in an extremely small number of cases.
There are safeguards in place to ensure 457 visa holders are not exploited in terms of pay. These include the provision of an employment contract for the nominee, equivalent Australian worker employment contracts, recent payslips, job ads showing salary, salary surveys, etc., to DIBP as part of the nomination; there is also the TSMIT; DIBP monitoring of sponsoring employers; dob-ins; etc.
In my experience most 457 visa holders are paid more than equivalent Australians; and the associated costs with employing overseas staff are in fact higher than employing an Australian - especially when considering costs associated with recruitment, migration agents, government fees, relocation, advertising, etc.
As for your comment "If you can bring in someone and pay them a lower salary because you don't have to offer a competitive salary for the Australian market, why wouldn't a business do this ?" - an employer DOES have to offer a competitive salary to an overseas employee. And that salary cannot be less than that which would be paid to an equivalent Australian worker.
Overseas staff are usually sought after because of their qualifications, skills and experience - not because they are cheaper labour alternatives.
The alleged rorts were exaggerated by the Unions and the previous Government. -
Friday, 18 October 2013
Let me get this straight, u r extremely pleased by a vow from a politician.......
Well, this is a good punch line! -
Friday, 18 October 2013
The law of common sense over the law of union domination and dictatorship. A welcome relief for a profession whose clients have been maligned and battered by Labor to the detriment of the entire country. Let us all hope that the same common sense approach will see changes that will reverse the massive decrease in O/S student visa numbers to the extent that overseas education is once again in the top 5 on Australian export market. This may create employment for the thousands of teachers/educators whose positions were quashed by a political party that fraudulently claims to represent the worker.
regards, Robert Steain [marn0533735] -
Friday, 18 October 2013
We hope Mr Scott will consider also IELTS 7 for RMA January 14 is around the corner
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Friday, 18 October 2013
I have had alot of feedback from my clients regarding previous consultations where they could not understand the consultation the agent was giving because of the language barrier. I agree to the IELTS test, if the migrants are made to take it and pass, then indeed us professionals giving Immigration advise need to undertake it and pass also.
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Friday, 18 October 2013
This is good news for genuine cases. BTW the 457 is not 'cheap labour' if you look at the TSMIT + super its a $70,000 per year bundle. Suits the top end of town. However, 457's for lower end Cooks, Mechanics etc. are apparently being lodged by some agents in cahoots with recruitment agents, who take money as fees from clients (apparently as high as $25-30,000 per head) and then financially reward employers to lodge 457 nominations for these desperate clients. But then if a NOITTA follows, the whole pack of cards collapses and these most vulnerable of clients get burnt. Obviously they cant get a visa, let alone a refund of their fees -- whilst the employer, recruiter and agent go free. On the other hand, in some other instances the scheme apparently has worked and everyone was satisfied. Linesman says " TOO CLOSE TO CALL". What does the umpire say? Comments from the crowd, anyone? How to legitimise this market ...
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Wednesday, 13 November 2013
Well I'm confused. Why then did Michaela Cash authorise an instrument last Friday that sets the commencement date for LMT as 23rd Nov? Don't she and Scott talk about thses things?
Immigration blog
This is good news for all RMAs.
The decision to back the liberals on this strategy through MA was a sound strategic and tactical position.