Australia gets rid of expat workers’ visa - Fusion - WeRIndia

The Australian government has recently abolished the subclass 457 visa category for skilled overseas workers, which was the most popular route for Indians to go to Australia and seek permanent residency.

Out of the 90,000 holders of the 457 visas, about 22% of them were Indians.

In its place, the government of Australia has introduced the new Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa, which replaced the previous 457 visa on March 18th.

TSS visas will still enable workers to be hired from outside of Australia, but this new visa comes with far more restrictions than the old one.

It will now be much more difficult for Indians to secure a permanent residency in Australia.

New job entrants, which includes Indian students who have qualified from Australian varsities, will have a much greater challenge in securing a job in Australia, since a minimum work experience of two years is required.

It is also proposed that sponsoring firms must additionally contribute to a skilling fund, which will make it much costlier to hire overseas workers.

Although the final rules for labor testing norms have not yet been announced, it is expected that they will now be stricter, favoring local job applicants over foreign ones and ensuring that local applicants are given the first opportunity for a job vacancy.

While the 457 visa had a maximum duration of four years, the TSS visa will come in two main streams.

The short-term visa will have a maximum duration of two years, and it will enable the hiring of temporary expat skilled workers.

These temporary workers must have occupations included on the Short Term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL).

The long-term TSS will have a maximum duration of four years, which will enable the hiring of expats with occupations listed on the Medium and Long Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL).

The new rules set by the Australian government are certainly much stricter and will make it much tougher for Indians to secure a permanent residence there.

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