Australia Govt SCRAPS 457 VISA PROGRAM

New Delhi, Mar 24: Here is the Bad news for the Indian Students, who willing to go abroad for further studies, as Australia Follows America Rules.

The Company has abolished its popular employer-sponsored 457 Visa programs, widely used by Indians.

* Australia has also replaced this programme with a much stringent programme that requires higher English-language proficiency and job skills.

* The move comes after the US recently made the road tough for Indian job seekers.

In this regard, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had said that Australia will adopt a new "Australians first" approach to skilled migration.

"We will no longer allow 457 visas to be passports to jobs that could go — and should go to Australians," he had said.

The new visa programme which came into effect from March 18 after an official notification issued by Department of Home Affairs, comprise two streams Short Term and Medium Term and is underpinned by more focused occupation lists that are responsive to genuine skill needs and regional variations across Australia.