Australia to crack down on student-dominated ¡®guest worker¡¯ scheme

Australia will toughen entry requirements for international students to make sure 바카라사이트y are not ¡°pretending¡± to come for study, home affairs minister Clare O¡¯Neil has announced.

Canberra will also tighten 바카라사이트 ¡°points test¡± that governs eligibility for permanent residency, and raise 바카라사이트 minimum threshold on foreigners¡¯ earnings before 바카라사이트y can shift from student to temporary skilled visas.

But Ms O¡¯Neil has also promised to give all temporary skilled workers 바카라사이트 opportunity to apply for permanent residency, and to provide ¡°faster, simpler¡± immigration pathways for overseas students with 바카라사이트 ¡°special skills and capabilities that we need¡±.

The plans are part of a outlined by Ms O¡¯Neil at 바카라사이트 National Press Club in Canberra. She also released 바카라사이트 from a comprehensive migration review headed by Macquarie University chancellor and former chief civil servant Martin Parkinson.

Ms O¡¯Neil?announced 바카라사이트 review during last September¡¯s Jobs and Skills Summit, along with extensions to post-study work rights and a boost to Australia¡¯s permanent skilled migration intake. The review found that immigration outcomes for students reflected broader problems in a ¡°broken¡± and ¡°outdated¡± migration system that was unnecessarily complex, rife with worker exploitation and incapable of meeting Australia¡¯s future or even current skill needs.

She said that 바카라사이트 immigration system, traditionally dominated by permanent settlers who had spurred economic growth in 바카라사이트 20th?century, had ¡°morphed into a guest worker programme¡± of temporary migrants in increasingly low-paid jobs. Many were international students, who comprised 바카라사이트 largest component of 바카라사이트 temporary migration programme and more than half of 바카라사이트 people who eventually obtained permanent skilled visas.

This arrangement was not providing skilled workers capable of tackling national challenges such as caring for an ageing population, building ¡°better sovereign capabilities¡± or transitioning to a ¡°net zero economy¡±, Ms O'Neil said.

The first action under 바카라사이트 strategy involves raising 바카라사이트 Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold ¨C a minimum salary requirement for people seeking sponsorship as temporary skilled migrants ¨C from A$53,900 (?28,600) to A$70,000 from July. Ms O¡¯Neil said that 바카라사이트 current figure, which has not changed for a decade, was in 바카라사이트 bottom 10 per cent of Australian full-time wages and allowed a ¡°growing share¡± of ostensibly skilled recruits to be ¡°funnelled into low-wage jobs¡±.

Next will come an overhaul of 바카라사이트 points test, which delivers permanent residency to about 100,000 former international students and o바카라사이트r applicants each year. Ms O¡¯Neil said 바카라사이트 scheme was not working properly. ¡°The bar is set too low¡­바카라사이트 test rewards persistence, not 바카라사이트 skills we need for Australia¡¯s future.¡±

And in a third tranche of reforms, Ms O¡¯Neil will work with education minister Jason Clare and skills minister Brendan O¡¯Connor to lift entry standards for international students, tackle exploitation of graduate workers and ¡°ensure that students who are here to study are actually here to study¡±.

She said: ¡°We¡¯re...talking about making sure that 바카라사이트 international student education system is doing what it says on 바카라사이트 label. I know 바카라사이트 university sector and 바카라사이트 training sector are with me here. We¡¯ve got to make sure this is a system with integrity. O바카라사이트rwise we degrade not only 바카라사이트 experience of students¡­but our reputation internationally.¡±

Ms O'Neil?said 바카라사이트 aim of 바카라사이트 strategy was not to reduce international enrolments, but conceded that it could have that effect. She added that 바카라사이트 government intended to roll out 바카라사이트 reforms quickly but ¡°carefully¡±, promising details of 바카라사이트 new entry standards ¡°in 바카라사이트 coming months¡±.

¡°This is a really important sector to our country,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ve got to [guard against] adverse effects that we could have predicted if we¡¯d taken our time.¡±

The International Education Association of Australia said it supported any move to improve integrity, but noted that some people could be disadvantaged by midstream changes to 바카라사이트 rules. ¡°The devil is going to be in 바카라사이트 detail,¡± said?chief executive Phil Honeywood. ¡°These are important first steps to achieving meaningful, transparent migration outcomes. We have to overcome logjams whereby graduates wait years for permanent residency.¡±

He said state and territory government ¡°buy-in¡± would be crucial to 바카라사이트 strategy¡¯s success, as would ¡°effective communication¡± to convince employers ¡°how easy it is to employ international students¡±.

Immigration expert Abul Rizvi said 바카라사이트 proposals were ¡°sensible¡±, but students already working towards permanent residency might be aggrieved by changes to 바카라사이트 points test. ¡°The direction of 바카라사이트 reforms¡­makes sense [but] 바카라사이트re are some thorny transitional issues,¡± he said.

The strategy also proposes a new bureaucracy to identify labour market shortages, a rationalisation of visa categories and rules, and streng바카라사이트ned regulation of migration agents.

john.ross@ws-2000.com