A young Spanish woman living in Australia became emotional over the Albanese government’s proposed visa reforms, saying the “unfaithful” system could leave her unable to stay in the country.
Labor this week announced a major migration-system overhaul, including reduced access to extended working holiday visas and tougher rules designed to stop temporary migrants from repeatedly switching visas to remain in Australia.
Speaking with the Daily Mail at Bondi Beach, the Sydney-based hospitality management student from Spain became tearful.
“It makes me really upset because this country, this government has a lot of money from all the people like us who pay the big amount of money to obtain the visa,” she said.
“Now, if they make us to extend the visa harder [sic], it’s like, how are we supposed to stay here if they don’t really want [us] to? They don’t really want [us] to.
“It’s supposed to be that this country offers us more opportunities to make money.
“But the point is, why? I mean, if the country needs workers, if we’re [giving] this country our money, what’s the point to make all visas difficult to obtain?”
She said many people living in Bondi were born overseas, adding: “If we leave, what are they going to do because there’s so many people?”
A young Spanish woman living in Australia was brought to tears over the Albanese government’s visa reforms
The student questioned the decision to make visas more difficult to obtain for people working in Australia, arguing that the government also benefits from their contributions to the workforce and visa fees.
‘What does the government want? To make money with our work? Because every time that you work, you’re paying taxes,’ she said.
‘More workers, more taxes. That’s me: more income for the government. Or do you want us to leave, and they won’t have workers. What do they want?’
A friend of the young woman, who is also from Spain, said she has been in Australia for almost a year on a working holiday visa.
She told the Daily Mail that, although she has been looking for jobs, ‘it’s been difficult’ and also took aim at the migration reforms.
‘I think it’s really unfair because a lot of people go to the countryside to do the farm [work] and try to extend their visas, and I think we help with jobs that maybe Aussie people don’t want,’ she said.
‘At the end, I think all of us are here just to make money and try to contribute to the country as well.
‘I think it’s a good opportunity for all of us, both foreign people and Aussie people.’
The young woman took issue with the government’s decision to make visas harder for those contributing to the Australian workforce, which she said the government benefits from
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced the wave of measures at the National Press Club on Thursday, warning that cutting migration too deeply could damage the economy
One of the new reforms is a backpacker ballot, which means backpackers seeking a second-year working holiday visa will have to enter a ballot for one of 45,000 places, down from about 57,000 people who qualified last year.
Backpackers seeking a third-year working holiday visa will have to enter a ballot for one of just 5,000 places, down from about 31,000 people who qualified last year.
‘I think it’s unfair. Why [do] others have more opportunity than us, for example?’ she said, adding that making the system harder could fail.
‘I think it’s not gonna work in the future and probably many foreign people, international people are going to complain about it. And we have to do something, I don’t know what, but I hope.’
The first young woman said she believed the ballot system was ‘very unfaithful’, her voice breaking as she turned away for a moment.
‘I’m not gonna have any chance to stay here,’ she said.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced the wave of measures at the National Press Club on Thursday, warning that cutting migration too deeply could damage the economy.
‘The times that we’ve had massive reductions too far in immigration have coincided with the worst economic times in Australia’s history. We need to be careful with it, and I’m being careful with it.’
A friend of the young woman, who is also from Spain, said that, although she has been looking for jobs, ‘it’s been difficult’
Burke said the government wanted a clearer distinction between temporary and permanent migration.
‘If you want to come on a temporary basis to Australia, apply for a temporary visa. If you want to come to Australia permanently, apply for a permanent visa. And if you no longer have a valid visa, you should leave Australia.’
Under one of the biggest changes, international students and graduate visa holders will no longer automatically be able to bring family members with them.
‘For international students, we will no longer be allowing the attaching of family members to international student or for graduate visas,’ Burke said.
The changes will not affect partners or family members who are already in Australia on an existing visa.
Working holiday-makers will also face tougher rules when seeking to remain in Australia for a second or third year – because of the Australia-UK free trade agreement.
Visitor visas will also be tightened to prevent people entering Australia as tourists and then switching to another visa while onshore.
At present, a visitor can apply for another visa after arriving in Australia and potentially remain on a bridging visa while that application is processed.
Burke said the practice had contributed to visa-hopping and made authorities more reluctant to approve some genuine visitor visa applications.
Under the new system, many visitor visas will carry a ‘No further stay’ condition, generally preventing holders from applying for another visa while they remain in Australia.
International students will also be prevented from repeatedly moving between courses at the same or lower qualification level in an attempt to extend their stay.