Subclass 457 Integrity Review
On this page
On 14 April 2008 the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, announced the establishment of an independent integrity review process to be conducted by industrial relations expert Ms Barbara Deegan, following concerns raised about the Subclass 457 visa program. The final report was completed in October 2008.
Issues Paper no. 1
Minimum Salary Level (MSL) and Labour Agreements (LA)
This first paper considers the Minimum Salary Level requirements and Labour Agreements in the context of the Subclass 457 visa arrangements and provides the basis for structured and focused feedback from interested stakeholders on these two issues.
See: Issue Paper #1 - Minimum Salary Level and Labour Agreements (194KB PDF file)
Issues Paper no. 2
English Language Requirement and Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S)
The second issues paper considers the English language requirement and Occupational Health and Safety issues around the Subclass 457 Visa Program.
See: Issue Paper #2 - English Language Requirement and Occupational Health and Safety (116KB PDF file)
Issues Paper no. 3
Integrity and Exploitation
The third issues paper considers a range of integrity and exploitation issues around the Subclass 457 Visa program, as well as monitoring and compliance.
See: Issues Paper #3 - Integrity / Exploitation (231KB PDF file)
Final Report
On 14 November 2008 the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Senator Chris Evans, released the report of the Visa Subclass 457 Integrity Review conducted by industrial relations expert Barbara Deegan.
The report will now be handed over to the Skilled Migration Consultative Panel to consider the recommendations. The Skilled Migration Consultative Panel consists of representatives of business and industry groups as well as state governments and unions.
The Consultative Panel will provide feedback and advice to Government on the report, which includes recommendations to:
- abolish the minimum salary level in favour of market rates of pay for all temporary visa holders on salaries less than $100 000
- develop an accreditation system or risk matrix to ensure rapid processing of low-risk visa applications so employers can meet skills needs quickly
- develop new lists setting out the skilled occupations for which temporary work visas can be granted
- limit visa holders to a stay of no longer than eight years in Australia (that is, two 4-year visas or four 2-year visas) while providing a pathway to permanent residency for those who have the required language skills.
See: Integrity Review Final Report (402KB PDF file)
See also: Integrity Review of Temporary Overseas Worker Scheme Released