New Agriculture Visa Coming
The Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management recently announced a new seasonal agriculture worker visa to assist with the shortage of workers in the sector.
In the course of negotiations with the United Kingdom over the Australian-UK Free Trade Agreement, it was agreed that United Kingdom working holiday visa holders (backpackers) will no longer be required to work the 88 days on Australian farms.
As a consequence, this farm work visa will now be made available to ten ASEAN countries (Brunei, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia, Singapore and Vietnam) and will be similar to the current Seasonal Worker Programme.
Under the proposal, the visa should allow holders to work in Australia for up to 3 years while returning to their home country every year for 3 months. This visa is expected to be available before the end of 2021. More details will be provided when available.
