Foreign worker visas targeted: US, Australia & New Zealand

Three western countries moved this week to restrict jobs to citizens of their own country much like most Asian countries already do.

INTERNATIONAL SKILLED LABOUR

Trump targets visas he says hurt American workers

19/04/2017
Associated Press News agency

Australia, the US and New Zealand this week, in rapid succession, moved to restrict work visa's for foreign workers in their respective countries.

The proposed changes to foreign worker visas will be reviewed in the order Australia, New Zealand and then finally the US.

Changes in the US have captured the headlines in a bigger way this week with President Donald Trump's return to the tough talk of his presidential campaign.

It is worth noting that all Asian countries severely limit the jobs that foreigners can do, so in some respect this week's move in the US, Australia and New Zealand moves towards a reality that already exists in Asia.

AUSTRALIA WORK VISA RESTRICTIONS

To prioritise the recruitment of Australian nationals, Australia is introducing stricter visa requirements for skilled foreign workers.

Australia's so-called 457 visa programme has been used to recruit workers from India, the UK and China in areas as diverse as the IT, medical and restaurant industries for jobs such as cooks, computer programmers and medical technicians. The visa was good for four years and allowed workers to bring their families with them to live in Australia.  

Two new temporary visa programmes will reduce the list of eligible jobs available to foreign workers as well as increasing the requirements.

One critic noted that it was students who came to study in Australian and who worked illegally in less skilled jobs such as taxi driver were the real workers who took Australian jobs (for more see original article here).

NEW ZEALAND WORK VISA RESTRICTIONS

New Zealand said on Wednesday it will tighten access to its skilled work visas, just a day after the United States and neighbouring Australia announced similar restrictions on immigration.

"These changes are designed to strike the right balance ... and encourage employers to take on [employ] more Kiwis [New Zealanders] and invest in the training to upskill them," immigration minister Michael Woodhouse said in a statement...

The changes to be introduced later this year include introducing a minimum income requirement, making it more difficult for family members to join visa holders and limiting the amount of time seasonal workers are allowed to stay in New Zealand.

Many sectors of the economy, such as technology and construction suffer from a severe shortage of workers and companies in these areas were recruiting many of their workers from offshore (for more see original article here).

TRUMP SIGNS ORDER

US President Donald Trump signed an order on Tuesday he said should help American workers whose jobs are threatened by skilled immigrants.

This marks a return to the economic populism that helped drive Trump's election campaign.

Trump signed the order at the headquarters of the manufacturer of hand and power tools Snap-on Inc.

'DEFEND OUR WORKERS, PROTECT OUR JOBS, PUT AMERICA FIRST'

Dubbed "Buy American and Hire American'', the directive follows recent Trump reversals on economic policies.

"We are going to defend our workers, protect our jobs and finally put America first,'' Trump declared, standing in front of an American flag fashioned out of wrenches.

Much like some prior orders, however, Trump's executive action on Tuesday essentially looks for detailed reports rather than making decisive changes.

In this case, the reports are about granting visas for highly skilled foreign workers and ensuring that government purchasing programmes buy American made goods as required by law.

TRUMP'S RETURN TO TOUGH TALK OF HIS CAMPAIGN

Trump chose to sign the directive at Snap-on Inc, based in Wisconsin, a state he narrowly carried in November on the strength of support from white, working class voters.

Trump currently has only a 41% approval rating in the state.

He campaigned last year on promises to overhaul US trade and regulatory policy, but his executive orders on those issues reflect the administration bowing somewhat to the limits of presidential power.

Also, Trump has recently reversed several populist promises, including standing up to China, which he contended was manipulating its currency and stealing American jobs, and eliminating the Export-Import Bank, which he billed as wasteful subsidy.

But Trump returned to Tuesday to the economic tough talk of his campaign, saying: "We're going to make some very big changes or we are going to get rid of NAFTA for once and for all,'' referring to the Clinton-era US trade pact with Canada and Mexico.

US TECH INDUSTRY TARGETED

The order asks the government to propose new rules and changes that will stop what he called abuses in a work visa programme used by US technology companies.

In his new directive, the president is targeting the H-1B visa program, which the White House says undercuts US workers by bringing in large numbers of cheaper, foreign workers and driving down wages.

The new order would direct US agencies to propose rules to prevent immigration fraud and abuse in the programme. They would also be asked to offer changes so that H-1B visas are awarded to the most-skilled or highest-paid applicants.

The number of requests for H-1B visas declined this year by about 15%, or roughly 37,000 applications, but the total was still nearly 200,000, far more than the 85,000 limit.

The tech industry has argued that the H-1B program is needed because it encourages students to stay in the US after getting degrees in high-tech specialties, and because companies cannot always find enough American workers with the skills they need.

TRUMP'S OWN MIXED RECORD ON BUYING & EMPLOYING AMERICAN 

Trump has long pledged to support American goods and workers, but his own business record is mixed. Many Trump-branded products, like clothing, are made overseas.

His businesses have also hired foreign workers, including at his Palm Beach, Florida, club.

Snap-on makes hand and power tools, diagnostics software, information and management systems and shop equipment for use in agriculture, the military and aviation. In addition to 11 factories in the US, financial disclosures show it has plants in China, Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/1234667/trump-targets-visas-he-says-hurt-american-workers

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/1234675/nz-tightens-immigration-rules-in-kiwis-first-crackdown

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-39626389

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/04/17/background-briefing-buy-american-hire-american-executive-order

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/19/new-zealand-restricts-skilled-worker-visas-in-kiwis-first-approach-to-immigration

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/apr/18/australian-government-abolish-457-temporary-work-visa

https://www.interest.co.nz/news/87186/government-changes-new-zealand-immigration-settings-questions-and-answers-skilled-and

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