The Government has today
released its response to the Independent Review into the Integrity of the 457 visa programme report.
Some Noteworthy Recommendations are :
- SBS (Standard Business Sponsors) will be approved for five years and start-up business sponsors for eighteen months.
- The English language level will be altered to an IELTS average of 5 overall, with no less than 4.5 in any band. Alternate English language test providers are likely to be announced next month.
- Greater collaboration between the Australian Taxation Office and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to uphold the integrity of the subclass 457 programme by cross checking to ensure that employers are paying overseas workers the correct wages and entitlements.
- Rewarding Australian employers who are complying with their sponsorship obligations, by providing them with streamlined processing for their nominations and visa applications.
- Criminalising fraudulent activity in the subclass 457 programme where it will be a criminal offence for sponsors to accept payment from visa applicants for a migration outcome.
- Current training benchmarks replaced with an annual training contribution to a government training fund. Contributions will be based on the number of sponsored subclass 457 employees and the size of the business.
