Australian visa requirements put meat industry in a stew
April 16 2009 by Gareth McConnell
The Australian meat industry says that concessions should be made for foreigners wanting to move to Australia to work in the meat industry, following the announcement that the minimum standards for English are to be increased for Australian work permit applications.
Australian work visa (457 visa) applicants wanting to work in Australia now have to prove that their English is at grade five in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). This has increased from the previously required grade 4.5 on the test and is intended to prevent migrants who speak little English being exploited.
However, the Australian Meat Industry Council spokesperson, Kevin Cottrell, says temporary skilled workers applying for jobs in the meat industry only ever needed grade three English, which worked well for that particular industry. The Council is now calling for exemption from the new tougher English rules.
Cottrell says many of the people working in the industry would struggle to achieve the level of fluency now required. “Obviously, IELTS 3 is proven to be quite successful in terms of the people we have brought in so far,” claims Cottrell, adding, “IELTS 5 would make it quite difficult for a number of people working in the meatworks to get that sort of a level of English."
See the latest Immigration News
