India warns Australia scrapping of visa will impact FTA negotiations
NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday warned Australia that the scrapping of the 457 Visa programme that will hit Indian skilled workers the maximum would impact the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries that is presently under negotiation.
Days after completing his maiden visit to India, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull defended the scrapping of the Visa programme in national interest. The 457 Visa programme allowed the businesses in the country to hire skilled foreign professionals if there was a shortage of Australian workers.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Gopal Baglay in response to a question said: “The government is examining consequences of the new policy in consultation with all stakeholders.” He further added that the doing away of the visa programme might also be impacting the fate of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA). “This is also a matter we will be looking at in the context of CECA negotiations,” Baglay added.
As of September 2016 there are 95, 758 people in Australia under 457 visa programme. Out of these the biggest chunk of 25 percent are from India, followed by the UK and China. The Australian Government contended that the present visa holders will not be impacted by the change in policy. Australia will be introducing two new temporary skills visas – one for two years and another one for four years targeting the highly skilled workers. There will not be any permanent residency at the end of the two-year visa.
Defending the new system as “manifestly, rigorously, resolutely conducted in the national interest", Turbull said: "The migration program should only operate in our national interest. This is all about Australia's interest." Amidst increasing anti-globalisation movements across the globe, Australia has followed the line of the UK and the US is seeking to regularise immigration of workers to secure the “national interests”.