Last Updated on March 2, 2023
Australia is a top destination for business travelers, and sending employees to Australia for work or hiring international employees in Australia means navigating the temporary and permanent resident visa options to find the best fit. Employers have to choose between a short term skilled worker visa, temporary skills shortage visa, a employer sponsored permanent-residency visa and others. Many types of business meetings, trainings and conferences qualify an employee for a Business Visitor visa, of which there are 500,000 per year in Australia. Needless to say, immigration to Australia is popular among employers, but it also has its challenges.
Benefits of immigration to Australia
Sentiments toward immigration across the country are conflicting and passionate on either side, and high population growth in urban centers and infrastructure issues are compounding the issue.
A new report published by the Australian government, and reported on by the New York Times, reveals the tangible benefits of immigration to Australia. It shows just how much immigrants have contributed to GDP, the age of the working economy, and strong economic growth during recessions in other countries. This report highlights some of the major concerns surrounding recent changes in immigration that have sometimes made hiring and moving international talent to Australia more challenging.
Changes to the skilled workers visa classification
One of the results of the recent passionate debate on immigration that’s taking place around the country and within the government has been the abolition of the 457 visa. The 457 visa allowed temporary skilled workers to work in a designated occupation in Australia for up to four years. This visa was abolished and replaced on March 18, 2018. The replacement for the 457 visa is the Temporary Skills Shortage or TSS visa, which includes fewer eligible fields and new restrictions to help companies prioritize hiring Australian citizens over foreign national employees.
Need information on expanding your workforce to Australia? Tune into our Australian Immigration: What You Need to Know webinar replay to get in-depth details or contact the Envoy Global team.
