澳大利亚收紧外籍劳工签证

澳大利亚总理特恩布尔周二表示，澳大利亚将取消广受外国人欢迎的457工作签证项目，并代之以一个新的临时签证项目，要求申请者具备更好的英语水平和工作技能，目的是更好地保障澳洲本地人的就业优先权。看来以后要靠工作签证移民澳洲没那么容易了。

Australia will introduce stricter visa requirements for skilled workers from overseas, the government said.

澳大利亚政府称，将出台更严格的海外技术劳工签证要求。

The 457 visa programme is used mainly to hire foreign workers in the restaurant, IT and medical industries - the majority came from India, the UK and China.

457技术移民签证计划主要针对在餐饮行业，IT行业和医疗产业等领域工作的外籍劳工。这些人大多来自印度，英国和中国。

But PM Malcolm Turnbull said it would be abolished to prioritise the recruitment of Australian nationals.

但澳大利亚总理马尔科姆•特恩布尔表示，该计划将被废除，因为本国国民应享有就业优先权。

Critics of 457 said Australian workers lost out to foreign counterparts.

针对457签证的批评人士指出，澳大利亚工人被外籍同行抢占了工作机会。

In its place, two new temporary visas will carry additional requirements and draw from a smaller list of eligible professions.

与此同时，将会有另外的两项临时签证，来代替现有的457签证。新签证将会附加要求，且符合要求的劳工较以前将有所减少。

"The new system will be manifestly, rigorously, resolutely conducted in the national interest," Mr Turnbull said on Tuesday.

特恩布尔周二表示：“新制度将以国家利益为优先，要准确、严格、坚定地执行。”

457签证计划是什么?

A four-year business visa which allowed people to live in Australia with their immediate family.

457签证是有效期为4年的商务签证，允许在澳洲企业工作的海外人士能够与他们的直系亲属共同在澳大利亚生活。

It was designed to fill gaps in skilled labour but it had been criticised as being too accessible.

它的设立是为了弥补技术劳工的不足，但也因为门槛太低而受到争议。

In 2016, the most 457s were granted to cooks, developers, programmers and medical workers.

2016年，获得457签证的人大多为厨师、软件开发工程师、程序员和医务人员。

According to government statistics, 95,758 people were living in Australia on 457 visas last year, with the highest proportion coming from India (24.6%), the UK (19.5%) and China (5.8%).

政府数据显示，去年有95758人凭借457签证居住在澳大利亚，其中占比最高的分别是印度 有什么变化?

Mr Turnbull said the current four-year 457 system will be replaced by visas lasting two or four years.

特恩布尔先生说，457签证的有效时间为4年，替换该计划的新签证有效时间将改为2-4年。

For the shorter visa, more than 200 jobs will be removed from an existing list of about 650 eligible professions.

而这一短期签证的适用职业名单上，将有200多种职业从现有的650种职业名单中被移除。

The list for the longer visa will be even stricter, said Immigration Minister Peter Dutton.

澳大利亚移民部长彼得•达顿称，长期签证的要求将更加严格。

The changes will also require applicants to be more proficient in English, undergo a criminal check, and be subject to labour market testing.

新签证还会要求申请人具有更高的外语能力，通过犯罪记录审查和劳动力市场测试。

Current 457 visa holders will not be affected by the changes, Mr Turnbull said.

特恩布尔先生说，已持有457签证的人不会受到影响。

会对移民产生影响吗?

Yes, according to Mr Dutton. He described the possibility of eventual citizenship as a "significant part of the attraction" of the 457 visa.

据杜顿先生所说，会产生影响。他表示，最终获得居民身份的可能性是457签证“最具吸引力的部分”。

The new four-year visa will also result in fewer permanent residents because of the eligibility changes, he said.

他说，有效期为四年的新签证也将导致移居澳洲的永久性居民因资格要求变动而减少。