Harare, Zimbabwe (News of the South)-Australia is set to introduce new stricter Visa requirements for skilled workers that will result in fewer permanent residents from foreign countries.
The move, which will see the abolishment of the current 457 visa programme, follows a public backlash arguing that Australian workers were losing out to foreign counterparts.
Current holders of the 457 visa will however not be affected.
In place of the 457, the government will introduce two new temporary visas which will carry additional requirements whilst whittling down the list from which eligible professions cab be drawn.
According to government statistics 95,758 people are living in Australia on the 457 visa with the highest proportion coming from India (24%), the UK (19,5%) and China (5,8%), according to a BBC report.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said “the current 457 visa programme will be abolished to prioritise Australian nationals”.
“The new system will be manifestly, rigorously, resolutely conducted in the national interest”, he said on Tuesday according to the report.
The 457 visa was a four year business visa that allowed working people to live with their immediate families and was designed to fill gaps in skilled labour.
According to Turnbull the 457 will be replaced by visas lasting two to four years with the implication that for the shorter two year visa 200 jobs will be removed from an initial list of 650 professions which had been open to foreign workers.
BBC reports that the list for the longer visa will be stricter.
Amongst some of the new requirements is more proficiency in English, undergoing a criminal checks and being subjected to labour market testing.
Australia already forbids the granting of visas to foreign workers in the fast food industry.
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