Furquan Moharkan, Deccan Herald News Service, Bengaluru, Apr 18 2017, 14:47 IST
The programme known as 457 visa allows business to employ foreign workers for a period up to four years in skilled jobs where there is a shortage of Australian workers. File photo
In yet another move after abolishing the 457 Visa in the morning, the Australian government has abolished Skill Occupation List (SOL) and Consolidated Occupation List with Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) and Short term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) respectively.
In the new list, 216 occupations are removed from any state nomination eligibility SOL, impacting applicants from India considering to apply for 489 and 190 subclass of Australian Visas. The two classes are ascertaining to the skilled migration into Australia. Out of 216 removed occupations, 16 will be still be available under the new MLTSSL.
In order to respond to this significant change at short notice, South Australian government has suspended all applications for state nomination for both the subclass 489 and 190 visas, and as per the sources, it’s expected to last for a period of two days.
“The new changes are part of Australian government’s significant reform steps to strengthen the integrity and quality of Australia’s skilled migration programs” says Kavitha Ramaraj Australian Migration Lawyer and Director World Visa Consultants.
“Majority of 457 Visa holders in Australia are Indian, followed by China and UK,” said Kaiser Geer, Chief Executive Officer, WorldVisa Consultant, a leader visa consultants for Australia.