Australian immigration sees a drop in Australian working tourist visas.
October 07 2009 by Liam Clifford
Numbers applying and gaining Australian working tourist visas has fallen. Demand for skilled labor stays strong.
The Australian Minister for Immigration, Chris Evans, has just released his 2009 Territory Summary Report for people entering Australia on the 457 Long Stay Australian Visa.
Amongst other points the main finding was that the number of people applying for Australian Visas and being granted temporary work visas in Australia has dropped, however, the demand for skilled workers is still strong in Australia.
The report found the following:
· Primary visa applications had dropped by 45% compared to June 2oo8, before the financial crisis in Australia.
· Primary visa applications for Australia were down by 11% compared to the previous year
· Visas granted to Irish nationals increased by 8%, where as other major countries decreased by around 30%.
· Visas granted to nurses in Australia increased by 18%, where as other high-demand occupations decreased.
· Average salary for 457 (work sponsored) visa holders of Australia has increased by 6% to $77,500.
The slowing economy has meant that the Australian Government reduced the intake of 457 Australian working visas, the report did however state the importance of the Australian work visa in bringing added expenditure into the economy from working tourists spending money while they were in the country
This is supported by a change in the rules governing employment of working tourists by the Australian government, this will help to avoid exploitation of foreign workers, and underlines the Governments aim of regaining the levels of people applying for Long Stay Australian Visas seen in the past.
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