The Department of Immigration and Border Protection is working on reforms for a new simplified system that deregulates visa requirements and improves the process for applying for visas without overlapping visa pathways.
The department was earlier considering to allow businesses to get specialist workers from overseas for up to a year without a 457 visa, but the proposal has now been dumped, has reported.
The DIBP has told a productivity commission inquiry into migration that it was working on "significant" reform of the skilled migration and temporary activity visas that are "expected to improve Australia's competitiveness and ability to attract highly skilled migrants", according to a report in The Australian.
Immigration minister Peter Dutton has said that the DIBP is in the process of doing consultations to reform the skilled visa system to ensure it is best placed to suit Australia's economic future.
Mr. Dutton said that the current skilled migration and temporary activity visa programs are difficult to navigate.
“We are committed to smarter regulation in this area, improving integrity in our visa programs and increasing the contribution of skilled migration to Australia’s productivity and economy,” he said.
The new framework includes visa access for entrepreneurs that is likely to be rolled out in November this year.
It will also target graduates in fields where a future need for workers has been identified and simplify the processes for companies sponsoring workers.
“Collectively, these reforms will increase the attractiveness of each visa within the framework, which will in turn enhance Australia’s ability to attract highly skilled migrants,” the department has told the Productivity Commission in a written submission.
The reforms are expected to be implemented from July this year.
