A TORQUAY and Jan Juc restaurateur is on the verge of losing two full-time chefs to interstate restaurants because their profession is not on the Victorian Government\u2019s skilled visa list.<\/p>\n
Anthony Gist, who owns and operates Alisitos, Roku Den and Bird Rock, said the two foreign workers had been on state-sponsored visas for a couple of years and had the aim of eventually obtaining full residency, but chefs, venue managers and cooks were now no longer on the Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) list of target sectors.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow these two have been trying to scramble to find a pathway to get residency,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat’s happened is that South Australia and New South Wales in particular have opened up their 190 visas and basically said \u2018if you come to New South Wales, for example, and you get a job in hospitality, you can apply to a register of interest in a 190 visa – if you\u2019re eligible, you\u2019ll get a 12-month visa with residency at the end\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn Thursday, one of my full-time chefs said \u2018Hey Anthony, I\u2019ve been trying to get residency for three years, they keep changing the line on me, and I\u2019m going to go to New South Wales\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Gist said he had repeatedly advertised locally for chefs without success.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiterally, I\u2019m running my restaurants with 16-year-old kids and a few of these internationals overseeing my kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t afford to lose these people right now, because there\u2019s no-one coming into the country \u2013 there\u2019s no students, there\u2019s no backpackers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Gist said one of the two chefs was set to leave within 10 days, and the other would try to wait it out as long as possible as her son was in high school \u201cbut is very scared\u201d.<\/p>\n
He did not know when the Victorian Government had changed the 190 visa conditions to exclude chefs, venue managers and cooks, but staffing for hospitality businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic was a serious issue both in Victoria and across Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a state crisis, it\u2019s a national crisis. Internationals is what keeps Lorne running year-round,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo actually lose two of my staff, I don\u2019t know if I can take my hours down to doing four days a week.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only is it valuable to my business to have these people, they\u2019re good people, trying to make an honest life for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Gist said he had tried contacting his state representatives for help but had made no headway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know when they go for residency, it\u2019s a federal issue, but the Victorian Goverment 190 visa and occupation list is a state sponsorship.\u201d<\/p>\n
South Barwon Labor MP Darren Cheeseman had not responded to questions from this newspaper by deadline.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A TORQUAY and Jan Juc restaurateur is on the verge of losing two full-time chefs to interstate restaurants because their profession is not on the Victorian Government\u2019s skilled visa list. Anthony Gist, who owns and operates Alisitos, Roku Den and Bird Rock, said the two foreign workers had been on state-sponsored visas for a couple […]<\/p>\n