Australia under pressure to create Agriculture Visa

The program to endorse the importance of farming in Australia is declared to be a failure. It has put tremendous pressure on the Government to create a new Agriculture Visa. The aim is to ease the labor shortage in rural areas. The program has failed to find enough placements. It has fallen short of nearly 7600 places. It has been running for 2 years with a take-up rate of 4 percent. The National Farmers’ Federation has confirmed that there is no sign of improvement. The program was launched in 2017. Since then there has been no improvement at all. The domestic seasonal workforce is not interested in farming. Prime Minister Scott Morrison had even conducted a campaign in South Australia to promote this initiative. He said unemployed people must take up local jobs. Their benefits might get reduced otherwise. However, this couldn’t save the program from failure. As quoted by ABC.net.au, the program offered those on the dole an incentive of $5000 a year if they took up the job. Despite all the effort from the Government, the initiative failed. James Whiteside, Ausveg Chief Executive Officer said the demand is in hundreds of thousands. The failure only proves that Australians are not willing to take up in-demand jobs. He wants people to willingly take up the offer. It is being investigated if there were any barriers for people such as transport or accommodation. Reports suggest that almost 90 applicants found a permanent job through this initiative. Nevertheless, the failure has given rise to the need for a dedicated Agriculture Visa. The Government has made some changes to its existing Visa programs. The changes enable Overseas Workers to stay longer in the country. But it is not helping the Agriculture industry. Mr. Whiteside said there is an urgent need for a new Agriculture Visa. They want Overseas Immigrants who are flexible, reliable and willing. Mr. Whiteside further added that they want a dedicated Agriculture Visa that is just meant for their industry. It should not be part of other Visas providing fewer benefits. What Australia needs is a long-term solution. The new Agriculture Visa should address many concerns of farmers. Problems like underpayment, abuse of workers and mistreatment should be given attention. Prime Minister has confirmed that the Government would work on an Agriculture Visa that is a long-term solution. Mr. Morrison said that labor shortage in Agriculture has always been a frustration. Australia is holding 3000 jobs in Agriculture. However, the workforce shortage has never subsided. He confirmed that the Immigration Department is overlooking the matter. They would come up with a new Agriculture Visa proposal soon. Y-Axis offers a wide range of visa services and products for aspiring overseas immigrants including General skilled migration – Subclass 189 /190/489 with RMA review, General skilled migration – Subclass 189 /190/489, Work Visa for Australia, and Business Visa for Australia. If you are looking to Visit, Study, Work, Invest or Migrate to Australia, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Consultant. If you found this blog engaging, you may also like… Know about the occupation ceiling of Australia