澳大利亞將取消“457”簽證計劃

Australia’s prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said his government would axe a visa scheme for temporary foreign workers, a move likely to resonate with voters increasingly concerned about immigration.

澳大利亞總理馬爾科姆?特恩布爾(Malcolm Turnbull)表示，他的政府將取消一個面向短期外國勞工的簽證計劃。此舉很可能引起日益擔心外來移民的澳大利亞選民的共鳴。

In a video on his Facebook page, Mr Turnbull on Tuesday said his conservative government would abolish the “457” visa programme that allows skilled foreigners to work in Australia for up to four years.

週二，在其Facebook頁面上發佈的一個視頻中，特恩布爾表示他的保守黨政府將廢除“457”簽證計劃，該計劃允許有工作技能的外國人在澳工作最多達四年。

“Australia is the most successful multicultural nation in the world — we are an immigration nation,” Mr Turnbull said. “But the fact remains, Australian workers must have priority for Australian jobs.”

特恩布爾表示：“澳大利亞是世界上最成功的多元文化國家——我們是一個移民國家。但沒有改變的一個事實是，澳大利亞工人必須擁有獲得澳大利亞工作崗位的優先權。”

The decision echoes moves in the US by President Donald Trump, who is poised to order a crackdown on a visa programme for skilled workers in pursuit of a “Buy American/Hire American” credo.

這一決定呼應了美國總統唐納德?特朗普(Donald Trump)的舉措。特朗普正準備下令整改一項面向技術工人的簽證計劃，以踐行“買美國貨/僱美國人”的信條。

Mr Turnbull said 457 visas — under which 96,000 of the country’s 12m-strong labour force work in the country, according to 2016 immigration department data — would be replaced by a new visa designed to attract “the best and brightest” to Australia.

特恩布爾表示，將以一種旨在吸引“最優秀、最聰明”人才來澳的新簽證來取代“457”簽證。根據澳大利亞移民部門2016年的數據，澳大利亞1200萬勞動者中，有9.6萬人持“457”簽證在該國工作。

Roughly a quarter of 457 visa holders are from India, with British and Chinese comprising 19.5 per cent and 5.8 per cent respectively, while the IT, scientific and hospitality sectors are among the industries to most utilise the visa class.

“457”簽證持有者中，來自印度的佔四分之一左右，英國人和中國人分別佔19.5%和5.8%。信息技術(IT)、科研和酒店產業是使用這種簽證最多的產業。

“We will no longer allow 457 visas to be passports to jobs that could and should go to Australians,” Mr Turnbull said.

特恩布爾表示：“我們不會再允許457簽證成爲通向可以也應該提供給澳大利亞人的工作崗位的通行證。”

At 5.9 per cent, Australia’s unemployment rate is slightly below the OECD average of 6.2 per cent.

澳大利亞的失業率爲5.9%，略低於經合組織(OECD) 6.2%的平均值。

The 457 programme would be replaced with new visas that Mr Turnbull said would target skills shortages outside the main cities and would boost English language requirements for migrants.

“457”簽證計劃將被新簽證取代。按照特恩布爾的說法，新簽證將旨在解決主要城市以外的技能短缺問題，並會提高對移民的英語要求。