State government examining options for hospitality visas

THE Victorian Government says its rules about skilled visas are not the reason Surf Coast hospitality businesses are losing staff to interstate restaurants, but it is consulting with the industry.

Earlier this month, Alisitos, Roku Den and Bird Rock restaurateur Anthony Gist said two of his foreign workers, who have state-sponsored visas, had discovered that chefs, venue managers and cooks were now no longer on the Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) list of target sectors.

As a result, the two workers are on the brink of moving interstate, where the pathway to full residency for hospitality workers is easier.

“The government is aware of issues raised by the hospitality industry and the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions is working with the industry to examine future options,” South Barwon MP Darren Cheeseman said.

“The status of Victorian cooks, chefs and other workers who hold a current and valid state-sponsored 190 or 491 visa is unchanged and they can continue to work in Victorian establishments.”

The Victorian Government says employer-sponsored visas – which require the skilled migrant to work for their sponsor – continue to be an option for employers in regional Victoria to retain skilled migrant staff, but skilled migrants on a state-nominated visa are free to work for any employer.

According to the Victorian Governmen’s Live in Victoria website, the Skilled Nominated visa is a permanent visa for skilled migrants with advanced talent who are presently living and working in Victoria.

Applicants must be working in the fields of either health; medical research; life sciences, agri-food; advanced manufacturing; new energy, emissions reduction and the circular economy; cyber security skills or digital games engineers with specialisation in coding, art direction, AI or physics programming (for the subclass 190 visa); or all digital skills (for the subclass 491 visa).

Applicants must also be under the age of 45 at time of application, and assessed as having “Competent English” by the federal Department of Home Affairs.