Tougher pay rules on working visas
Tom Arup
WA Today.com.au
Canberra
February 12, 2009
People on temporary 457 working visas will be paid wages at “market rates” under proposed changes to employer obligations by the Federal Government.
The same changes will require those on the visas to obtain private health care and pay for their children's education, rather than employers footing the bill, before being granted entry into the country.
The draft changes are the result of a review conducted for Immigration Minister Chris Evans to finalise regulations under the Worker Protection Act, passed last year and due to take effect in September.
Those draft changes also include requirements for employers to pay for return flights for 457 visa holders and their spouses after the visa has expired.
Immigration and labour market analyst Bob Kinnaird said it was notable that Senator Evans had included market rates as the minimum wage rate in the draft recommendations as it was “the first public admission 457 visas were being used to undercut wages for local workers”.
