Political events like Brexit and Trump’s presidential election might have seen Australia benefit from their aftermath, with Australia’s technology, research and engineering industries set to poach key talent to drive a boom in its innovative, new-economy industries. With Donald Trump’s presidency and anti-immigration policies now upon us and the UK’s “Hard Brexit” about to start in earnest, the […]
READ MOREIn-Depth: 457 Visa Changes
On 18 April 2017, the Australian Government announced changes to the skilled worker visa program, including the 457 visa and employer nominated permanent residence visas. Some of the changes seem to implement recommendations of an independent review into the integrity of the temporary work (skilled) visa (Subclass 457) programme conducted in 2014. The integrity review panel looked at […]
READ MORE$447,300 Penalty for Cleaning Company Treating Migrant Workers As “Slaves”
Operators of a Sydney cleaning company face near-record penalties of $447,300 for treating vulnerable migrant workers as “slaves”. The Federal Court has found that Grouped Property Services deliberately exploited 51 non-English speaking workers, who were predominately foreign nationals on temporary visas, by underpaying them amounts ranging from $58 to $23,474. According to a Fair Work Ombudsman […]
READ MORENew Sponsorship Accreditation Rules and Obligations
Some welcome changes to the Accredited Sponsorship rules will mean more businesses can benefit from streamlined visa processing, quicker times and other benefits. This will accommodate certain low-risk sponsors who only use the 457 program occasionally. What are the new accreditation characteristics? Category 1: Standard Business Sponsors that are Australian government agencies (Commonwealth, state and […]
READ MORESMEs must ensure workplace compliance
End of financial year is a significant time for SMEs and with one of the most complex workplace relations systems in the world, it is essential that business owners stay updated and compliant with the changes that come into effect on, or after 1 July 2017. Recent research conducted by Union NSW into migrant work […]
READ MORE$200,000 penalty for terminating overseas worker by text message
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman The former owner-operator of an Indian restaurant in Perth has been penalised more than $200,000 after paying an overseas cook nothing for almost four months’ work then sacking him by text message for taking a day of sick leave. Simon Peter Mackenzie, who owned and ran The Curry Tree restaurant in Nedlands was […]
READ MOREGlobal Talent Scheme Visa is here!
The Global Talent Scheme (“GTS”) is a new visa scheme designed to attract highly skilled global talent and drive innovation in Australia. The one-year pilot program commenced on 1 July 2018. There are two streams: Established business stream – TSS accredited business sponsors who are publicly listed or has had an annual turnover of at […]
READ MOREPractical guide to labour market testing
How to: Deal with Labour Market Testing requirements Many sponsors struggle to satisfy the strict requirements for advertising a role, set by the Department of Home Affairs. And yet, this requirement does not have to be a barrier to sponsoring your new hire. We have compiled our top tips for handling labour market testing so […]
READ MORE400 Visa – not as straight forward as it used to be
Since the more restrictive TSS visa was introduced this year, we have noticed there is now increased scrutiny on Subclass 400 visa applications which can vary between processing centres. This may be due to the influx of Subclass 400 visa applications, which we expect have been caused by: Increased and uncertain 457 processing times which […]
READ MOREBusiness leaders leverage skills of refugee global talent pool
Talent shortages will affect the future of the world’s largest economies in upcoming years, and developing new and creative solutions to address these critical shortages is an economic imperative. The global refugee population should be part of the solution. A report commissioned by Talent Beyond Boundaries highlights the contributions from businesses who are spearheading efforts […]
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