457 Visa Blog

View Australia’s leading blog for all 457 visa information, news and updates.

All blog’s are written by the 457 visa compared team who have years of Australian Private Health Insurance experience and online marketing know-how. Adir Shiffman was the creator of Australia’s second leading health insurance website (www.helpmechoose.com.au which was later sold to Mortgage Choice).

Please feel free to contact us if you would like to contribute or have suggestions of different sections that you would like us to explore and discuss. You can also check out twitter, Google+ and Facebook page which are also updated frequently.

From time to time there will be information on other visa types such as the subclass 485 visa and general overseas visitor health insurance. This is due to a small proportion of users on this site having these other professional visa’s and their changes can also impact future 457 visa policy and 457 visa health insurance.

New 457 Visa Scheme Changes Planned

After a full independent review of the Australian skilled migration program in Australia, the government has announced some changes to the subclass 457 visa program. The media has done a poor job in communicating these changes, and the 457 visa compared website has been flooded with concerns. To clarify the new changes the key details are listed below. 1) Streamlining Of Most 457 Visa Applications (to shorten waiting times) The average waiting time for a ' low risk' 457 visa applicant ... read more »

457 Visa Applications Rebound Off A Low Base

Latest figures for May to June 2014 (the second quarter of 2014) show that the number of individuals applying for a 457 visa have rebounded. As the graph below it, while there is some upwards trends for 457 visa applications the figures are still significantly lower then the period prior to June 2013 when large-scale changes were made to the subclass program including: 1) Dramatic increased in the fees to apply for a 457 visa 2) Changes for employers in ... read more »

457 Visa Processing Times (2014)

One of the most commonly asked questions at 457VisaCompared is what are the current processing times for the 457 visa. This topic is covered in sections below with resources to help solve your questions. 1) What are the general waiting times The table below was shown on the Australian Immigration website on the 1st of August 2014. It highlights that's the average wait times are between two to three months depending on your application (or your county's) risk rating. To be more ... read more »

457 Visa Tax Time Hints (June 30, 2014)

Unlike most other countries, Australia's financial year ends on June 30th. This means that it's critical to have your finances in order before this date. Here are four key tips for 457 visa holders to consider before June 30th, 2014: 1) Health Insurance Most 457 visa holders will already have 457 visa health insurance but some individuals many have their cover lapse as they have received Medicare. While Medicare may meet their condition 8501 health insurance requirement, it may also result ... read more »

New 2014 Figures On The 457 Visa

The DIBP (Australian Government) released some interesting figures in June 2014 regarding the 457 visa that has led to some close media attention. 1) 66% of 457 visa applications that were granted were not for jobs that had to be advertised From 2013 the previous labour government introduced legislation that determined that for certain job categories employers would have to advertise the position to Australian's first before offering it to a potential 457 visa applicant. This is termed "labour ... read more »

457 Visa Applications Decrease By 36% In 2014

Official government figures released by the newly names Department Of Migration and Boarder Patrol show that that applications remained flat in the 2014/15 financial year. The total number of applications lodged in January to March 2014 was just over 35,000 lower then the previous corresponding period in 2013 which is 36.3% lower. Onshore applications were lower year on year whereas offshore applications were up which is the reversal of the trend seen over the past 2 years. In line with ... read more »

The Top 457 Visa Occupations Last Quarter

When most Australians think of 457 visas the first occupations that come to mind will be 'mining' followed by 'white collar jobs'. The actual application statistics from this subclass reflect quite the opposite and suggest a wide range of sought after professions, the top two of which are not white-collar at all! Below shows the Primary applications in the final quarter of 2013. It highlights that the top 2 occupations (which combined translate to over 10% of overall ... read more »

Abbott Government Loosens 457 Visa Rules

Tony Abbott and his Liberal government have made adjustments to the 457 Visa regulation, allowing employers to again hire an unlimited amount of foreign workers with a temporary working visa. The reopening of this controversial is in stark contrast to the previous Labour government who who tightened regulation to prevent employers from hiring more workers then they originally advertised to the market. When elected to power late in 2013 Tony Abbott declared Australia open for business, vowing to ... read more »

Results of the 457 Visa Program 2014 Survey

In Australia 190,000 temporary migrants (either primary of secondary) currently are residing within Australia. Recent research by the migration council published on the 5th March 2014 in conjunction with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) looked at the trends of 3,800 temporary visa holders (such as the 457 visa) and 1,600 companies that sponsor these individuals. Some key findings were that: 1) 457 visa workers had high satisfaction levels (88% were satisfied with their employer relationship) 2) 71% of ... read more »

457 Visa Health Insurance Premiums To Increase In 2014

Every year, all of Australia's health funds apply to the government to increase their health policies. This naturally impacts the price of 457 Visa Health Insurance cover with policies and prices normally increase in line with the funds average premium increase proposal. These price changes apply on the 1st of April 2014. Based on government data, HIF created a useful graphic highlighting the approved increases of each health fund. From this graph, the key 457 visa health insurance funds overall ... read more »