Displaying items by tag: 457 visas

The Federal Government's new Temporary Skills Shortage visas, which have replaced the 457 visas that were being used to bring in technology and other workers from outside the country, appear to be taking a very long time to be processed if at all, sources tell iTWire.

The president of IT workers' lobby group IT Professionals Association says the shafting of IT workers, as revealed to be happening at logistics behemoth Toll Holdings, is much more prevalent than is made public.

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection has knocked back an FOIA request from an IT workers' lobby group about the extent to which 457 visas are used in the IT industry because "the data doesn’t exist, we can’t find it or it’s all too hard".

Don’t mind me, I’m just reporting on MYOB’s welcoming of the Australian Government’s 457 visa changes, in line with AIIA’s comments.

The Australian Information Industry Association, the nation’s “peak member body for the ICT industry”, has welcomed ICT amendments to 457 visas that address “critical skills shortages".

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed concern over recent changes in Australia's temporary work visa system.

Indian outsourcing firms operating in Australia are making no comment about the Australian government's move to abolish 457 visas and introduce another category known as Temporary Skill Shortage visas.

Indian outsourcing giant Tata Consultancy Services has decided to set up an innovation lab in Australia as a result of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's recent visit to India.

Only 3.84% of Indian engineers are employable in start-up roles in software companies, a survey by the Indian firm Aspiring Minds claims.

What is the first thing a politician thinks about after he/she has won office? His/her thoughts will invariably turn to how he/she can get re-elected. And every move made thereafter will be in pursuit of that singular objective.

The head of a well-known Australian accounting software company has slammed the government's move to get rid of the 457 temporary worker visa system, saying it could "severely hinder the growth of the nation’s tech industry".

A lobby group for Australian IT workers says that any moves by the federal government to improve the way that skilled labour is imported into the country is a positive.

Australia's peak ICT industry body has encouraged the federal government to work with it to draft details for the new visa system that will replace 457 visas, pointing out that it was not consulted on the move.

An IT trends survey released by SolarWinds in March will give supporters of the move to get rid of 457 temporary work visas little comfort.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced on Facebook this afternoon that the government would abolish the 457 visa category which companies have been using for the last 21 years to bring in foreign workers to cover for the lack of local specialists. Critics say that this will lead to work going offshore.

A lobby group for Australian IT workers has threatened to "name and shame" companies that it claims are exploiting the 457 visa system to bring in overseas workers at low salaries and keeping local IT graduates out.

Demand for IT professionals is at an historic high, according to a new employment report which reveals that demand is highest for contractors as companies look to increase or maintain their use of non-permanent labour.

Foreign IT workers are being imported into Australia in their thousands and paid significantly lower wages than qualified Australian IT professionals, many of whom often struggle to find jobs.

There might be more opportunities to secure a job in the IT sector this year, but salaries for IT professionals will barely rise despite employers’ plans to increase IT budgets.

The Australian Computer Society continues to beat the drum on what it claims is the on-going abuse of the 457 Visa system by companies hiring immigrant workers ahead of local ICT graduates or to replace retrenched, older ICT workers.