#457 Visa
Startups to have easier access to global talent under new scheme being piloted by government
A new visa scheme will be piloted for 12 months from 1 July, this year, in a bid to attract highly-skilled global talent to Australia and boost the nation’s capacity for innovation, Minister for Jobs and Innovation, Michaelia Cash, has announced. [Related: If employers can’t import critical talent on visas, they’ll consider overseas hires, says […]
Will Atlassian have to relocate overseas?
The recent 457 Visa changes are impeding Australia’s capacity for innovation and they could force Atlassian to relocate its headquarters overseas, warns the home-grown software giant’s co-founder and co-CEO, Mike Cannon-Brookes. In an address to the Senate Committee on the future of Worker and workers in Melbourne on Tuesday, Cannon-Brookes said that technology had taken […]
If employers can’t import critical talent on visas, they’ll consider overseas hires, says CEO
The Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) Visa, which is expected to replace the subclass 457 Visa this month, continues to divide the business community, with employers contending onerous requirements and costs will impede their ability to hire critical talent. [Related: PM announces the end of 457 visas, proclaiming Australians must have priority for local jobs, Start-ups […]
Café manager hit with $27k fine for attempting to “get away with” underpaying overseas staff
The former manager of an Oliver Brown café on the Gold Coast has been fined $27,200 for ripping off overseas workers. Steven Chung was penalised in the Federal Circuit Court after admitting his involvement in the underpayment of 12 employees at the café in Surfers Paradise. Proceedings were brought against Chung by the Fair […]
Tackling the 457 visa issues: The technology skills your employees can learn online
Technology’s domination of the working world is all but complete. Recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics[1] (ABS) revealed the number of people working in the IT industry has soared by 20 per cent in the last five years. And it is no surprise that the local tech industry recently made to the global […]
Bon voyage: why Boutiq’s founder has little choice but to relocate his start-up offshore
With the abolishment of 457 visas, a much-talked-about concern amongst start-ups has been that it will be harder to secure skilled labour, especially as large, international competitors continue to lure local talent with competitive salary packages. What has received less attention is the fact that the reforms will make it difficult for some entrepreneurs, such […]
If the government truly cares about the tech sector, it mustn’t neglect video game makers
The Australian game development industry is frustrated. Incredibly so. One of the bodies that represents local companies in the industry, iGEA, recently published an open letter to Senator Mitch Fifield, who, as Minister for Arts, is the chief member of parliament responsible for supporting the games industry. Here’s an except from that letter: “… time […]
How the 457 Visa changes will impact SMEs
Australia has long been regarded as a country which has been able to attract top international talent to encourage business growth and diversification which has been made possible through the Temporary Work Skilled (subclass 457) visa. But the abolition of the 457 scheme and introduction of a replacement program from March next year has received […]
Three reasons this year’s federal budget is advantageous for small business owners
After the Federal Budget was announced on Tuesday, 9 May, small business owners will be trying to work out what matters most to them. Here are three main things we have been reviewing that may impact how small business do business – and it is mostly for the better. 1. Less red tape It is […]
Federal Budget: foreign worker tax introduced
Businesses that employ foreign workers will be subject to a new levy that will be used bankroll a fund for training Australian job seekers, the Government announced in the Federal Budget. From March 2018, businesses will be subject to a levy of $1200 per foreign worker or $1800 if they’re on a temporary skilled visa. In […]
PM announces the end of 457 visas, proclaiming Australians must have priority for local jobs
The federal government is replacing 457 visas with a new type of temporary visa designed to ‘better target genuine skills shortages’. The announcement was made on Facebook by Malcolm Turnbull who explained “Australian workers must have priority for Australian jobs”. The Prime Minister said the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa will feature “new requirements including […]
Addressing the Controversy: challenges and Benefits of Hiring Foreign Workers on 457 Visas
In 1996, then Prime Minister Paul Keating proposed the 457 Temporary Skilled Employer Sponsored Visa program. The subsequent Howard government then oversaw the implementation of the scheme, which enabled Australia to catch up to the immigration programs of many other developed countries, and thus increase its participation in global trade. The program still exists today […]
Employing foreign workers: What you need to know
So, you’ve heard about Gina Rinehart’s deal to bring 1715 temporary foreign construction workers to her Roy Hill mine, but what do you know about your own ability to employ foreign workers? You may be surprised to learn that you don’t need to be a mining magnate to access highly skilled foreign workers.
Skilled migration with 457-visas needed to prevent wage blowout
Australian employees forced to compete for the shrinking pool of skilled workers will need to pay more to attract staff or turn to skilled migration using the Federal Government’s 457-visa program, according to KPMG’s Skilled Migration Survey 2010.