457工作签证新政策（09年4月1日）

hanshuang

IMPORTANT: significant changes to Subclass 457 program

The Minister has today announced significant changes to the Subclass 457 program.

The seven changes are:

•1.  1. The indexation of the minimum salary level (MSL) for all new and existing 457 visa holders by 4.1% on 1 July 2009, in line with all employees' total earnings last year as reported by the ABS. This ensures that the wages of overseas workers keep pace with local wages.

2.    The implementation of a market based minimum salary for all new and existing 457 visa holders from mid September 2009, to ensure overseas workers are not exploited and local wages and conditions are not undermined (a key recommendation of the Deegan Review).

3.    Increasing the existing minimum language requirement from 4.5 IELTS to 5 IELTS for 457 visa applicants in trade occupations and chefs, to address concerns about the exploitation of workers from non-English speaking countries and align the 457 visa English language standard with the permanent sponsored visa for trades' occupations.

4.    Progressively introducing formal skills assessment from 1 July 2009 for 457 visa applicants from high risk immigration countries in trade occupations and chefs. The Government will consult with stakeholders in finalising an assessment framework that reflects Australian standards and meets the expectations of Australian workplaces.

5.    Introducing a requirement that employers seeking access to the 457 visa program have a strong record of, or demonstrated commitment to, employing local labour and non-discriminatory employment practices. This will help address concerns that some employers may discriminate against local labour in hiring overseas workers.

6.    The development of training benchmarks to clarify the existing requirement on employers to demonstrate a commitment to training local labour.

7.    The extension of the labour agreement pathway to all ASCO 5 - 7 occupations, to ensure that employers using the 457 visa program to access these occupations satisfy obligations on local training and employment.

小波

hanshuang