17 June 2008

Australian visa extension could help hospitality industry

A proposed extension to students' Australian visas which will allow them to stay in the country after studying will provide a large boost to the hospitality industry. According to the West Australian, if the plans to allow students to extend their Australian visa for an extra 12 months after completing their studies go ahead, the hospitality industry will see a larger pool of skills from which to employ.

Graham Bolton, Vice President of the Restaurant and Caterers Association in Western Australia, said: "This will also have an immediate impact on the size of the employment pool in the hospitality industry." He said the mining pool is currently taking all the young people willing to go into work, as the state is experiencing a huge boom in the sector and is leaving less people to work in hospitality.

The changes to the temporary visa (subclass 457) are expected to take effect inappro December, according to Mr Bolton. It will be the latest move in the 457 visa category after several unions recently united to give these Australia visa holders better pay.

Australia needs skilled workers: Anyone applying for an Australian visa should begin by completing the Australian Visa Bureau's online Australian visa application to see if they meet the Australian visa requirements.