Australia Warns Punishment Similar To Smugglers For 457 Visa Abusers

23 Oct 2013

Australia issued a strict warning to abusers of the 457 visa program, saying their punishment would be as harsh as people smugglers.

AAP news agency reported Scott Morrison, Immigration Minister of Australia, said 457 Visa program, if abused, will be undermined, and its demanding value to Australia will be decreased. He urged that he is asking the employers and industry to help the government safeguard this vital asset for the country’s economy by making sure it is not abused and is used in the right circumstances and appropriately.

The labor government started a crackdown on the 457 Visa program, earlier this year, saying employers who have not properly sought to employ locals first were abusing it.

The government passed laws in June that forced employers to test the local labor market to prove they were not able to find an Australian citizen to do the job prior to sponsoring a foreign worker on a 457 visa.

Businesses pressured the new government to take immediate action on the visa class.

On student visa programs, Morrison said that it was being used as a backdoor to permanent migration. He added that they are interested in selling education, not visas.