Last week, the Federal Government announced changes to the 457 Visa program. Now that the dust has settled and the speculation has quietened, we can finally start to contextualise what it all means for our customers. As a Contingent Workforce Specialist organisation, with an in-house Migration division, we welcome the changes. Here’s why:
What it means for our customers:
- It delivers increased integrity to the skill shortage system, removes the stigma with which overseas talent has been labelled due to negative press of recent years, and ensures that the access to talent for real skill shortage areas for organisations is not removed
- In our recent blog, we list the 219 occupations that have been removed, and the 59 occupations that carry additional caveats. The clear positive outcome for organisations is that in the key areas of genuine ICT & Engineering & Technical skill segments, it is essentially business as usual.
- There are still 435 occupations available that can be filled with overseas talent
There are some additional process changes for those seeking to engage 457’s directly (refer to the below eligibility criteria). However, with our in-house Migration division, we can assist in navigating these changes and advise if there is a more efficient option.
- Work experience requirements
- Labour market testing (LMT)
- Minimum market salary rate
- Character and clearance certificates
- A non-discriminatory workforce test
- Strengthened training requirement
It is also important to mention that with our On Hire Labour Agreement (OHLA), we have the ability to sponsor a candidate on your behalf.
Some of the OHLA benefits include:
- Our OHLA is not impacted by the changes
- We have a pre-approved list of skills
- We can even engage some occupations that have been now removed and now ineligible for organisations to engage themselves. Some examples include Web Developers and Petroleum Engineers
- The caveats in place for many of the occupations do not yet apply to our OHLA
- For the same or lower cost and removed risk, the OHLA provides a very flexible option for an organisation when engaging a candidate on a 457.
In summary, you can move forward with confidence that your talent requirements on the whole can still be met. The government recognises that we have bona-fide shortages in this country, and we have the expertise to assist you in ensuring complaint and accelerated processing.
Please do not hesitate to contact Entity Solutions’ registered Migration Agents on (03) 600 0333 or via email at enquiries@entitysolutions.com.au, should you need any further guidance.
