You couldn’t escape the “storm in a teacup” immigration news about the axing of the 457 visa last week. Last time I looked at a DIBP annual report there were about 100,000 (yes, they’d all fit in the MCG) 457 visa holders in Australia. As was reported there are now 216 less occupations (on the new STSOL and MLTSSL) which are eligible for a temporary working visa and some of those are subject to “caveats”. For instance the occupations below, are subject to the dual caveat that they must be located in a regional area (a defined term by postcode) and positions can’t be unskilled farm hands. Consequently, there won’t be any bee-keeping or sugar cane growing in Martin Place.
| Apiarist 121311 | Fruit or Nut Grower 121213 | Mixed Livestock Farmer 121317 |
| Aquaculture Farmer 121111 | Grain, Oilseed or Pasture Grower (Aus) / Field Crop Grower (NZ) 121214 | Pig Farmer 121318 |
| Beef Cattle Farmer 121312 | Grape Grower 121215 | Poultry Farmer 121321 |
| Cotton Grower 121211 | Horse Breeder 121316 | Sheep Farmer 121322 |
| Crop Farmers nec 121299 | Livestock Farmers nec 121399 | Sugar Cane Grower 121217 |
| Dairy Cattle Farmer 121313 | Mixed Crop and Livestock Farmer 121411 | Vegetable Grower (Aus) / Market Gardener (NZ) 121221 |
| Flower Grower 121212 | Mixed Crop Farmer 121216 |
If you’re wondering, the 6 digits is an ANZSCO code where you can look up the skills and qualifications necessary for just about any occupation including “sex worker” (see my previous post about Classification of occupations). Sex worker is not on the list of skilled occupations for the 457 visa.
Creative commons acknowledgment for the photograph.
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Those 457 applications lodged before 19 April 2017 and awaiting decisions, are they affected by the changes?
There is no clear statement by DIAC to say yes or no. Apart from stating that if an occupation is dropped off the list then one should apply for a withdrawal and request a refund of the fee.