Do you know that Australia has announced a new route for migrant workers to get permanent residency? The federal government announced the establishment of the Australian Agriculture visa for foreign workers from South-East Asian countries, who will be offered a pathway to permanent residency and settlement in regional areas, to address the farming sector’s ongoing labor shortage.
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Australia’s new agriculture visa, which will be in force by the end of September, will allow foreign employees to work on farms and in other agriculture sectors such as meat processing, fishing, and forestry in Australia. The government announced the visa on August 23 and stated that it will be available to applicants from a variety of nations established through bilateral agreements.
“Full conditions will be developed and implemented over the next three years as the visa is operationalised,” read a statement co-signed by Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, Agriculture Minister David Littleproud, Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Immigration Minister Alex Hawke.
The government emphasized the ambitious proposal, saying it will build on current Pacific worker programs such as the Seasonal Worker Program and Pacific Labour Scheme, which were created to alleviate employment shortages in rural and regional Australia.
Labor’s home affairs spokesman Kristina Keneally slammed the new initiative, saying in a media release on August 23 that it has the potential to undercut existing schemes for Pacific workers and increase the already endemic abuse of agriculture workers.
Former top Immigration Department official Abul Rizvi, commenting on the new program, said the government would have to offer an additional layer of protection for migrant workers entering on this visa to lessen the existing occupational health and safety concerns in the farm sector.
To deal with worker complaints, a tripartite industry, union, and government organization should be established, with the authority to prosecute employers and labor-hire companies who break labor regulations. He added that the tripartite group could send regular reports to each ASEAN country to ensure them that their citizens were not being exploited.
Mr. Rizvi went on to say that improving the safety of overseas workers will require greater company accountability and a minimum level of English language proficiency for successful applicants.
The government is yet to reveal details on the design of the visa program and participating countries. It is yet to be seen if a bilateral agreement will be negotiated with other countries, including India, and we are yet to see any requirements regarding the visa eligibility criteria and the pathway to permanent residency.
He believes that the particular specifics of the permanent residency track will not be announced for some time because visa holders will not be eligible for the pathway unless they have been in Australia for at least three to four years on a temporary visa.
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