24/08/2021
AUSTRALIA EFFECTIVE 30TH SEPTEMBER 2021 NEW AGRICULTURE SUBCLASS 403 VISA FOR WHICH LEGISLATION WILL LATER BE INTRODUCED TO CREATE SEPARATE VISA WITH PATHWAY TO RESIDENCY TO BRING SKILLED SEMI SKILLED AND UNSKILLED WORKERS FROM SOUTH EAST ASIAN COUNTRIES AND DECISION HOW MANY VISA PER COUNTRY WILL BE ALLOTTED DEPENDING UPON THE AGREEMENT WITH THAT COUNTRY BUT INDIA PAKISTAN BANGLADESH NEPAL NOT PART OF THE DEAL
Migrant farm workers from Asian nations will be offered a path to permanent residency under a long-awaited agriculture visa.
The category, which will be in place from September 30, will apply to skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers according to new details released on Monday.
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said the government would negotiate with individual countries to join the scheme.
Vietnam, Thailand, The Philippines, South Korea and other Asian nations are expected to be among the first included.
"Ones that we have already got very close and long-lasting immigration arrangements with will be the easiest for us to sign up as quickly as we can," Mr Littleproud told the ABC.
The agriculture visa will initially be created under a tweak to regulations around another category while legislation is drafted.
Mr Littleproud said it would exist alongside Pacific farm labour schemes.
"This is the biggest structural reform to Australian agricultural labour in our nation's history," he said.
"It's also about bringing the next generation of migrants to rural Australia, to grow agriculture and grow regional Australia."
The program will offer a path to settle in regional Australia for migrant farm workers who enter on the visa.
It will include meat processing, fisheries and forestry sectors, as well as fruit and vegetable picking and other farm jobs.
Migrant farm workers from Asian nations will be offered a path to permanent residency under a long-awaited agriculture visa. The category, which will be in pl...