澳大利亚将取消“457”签证计划

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.

澳大利亚总理马尔科姆?特恩布尔(Malcolm Turnbull)表示，他的政府将取消一个面向短期外国劳工的签证计划。此举很可能引起日益担心外来移民的澳大利亚选民的共鸣。

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.

周二，在其Facebook页面上发布的一个视频中，特恩布尔表示他的保守党政府将废除“457”签证计划，该计划允许有工作技能的外国人在澳工作最多达四年。

“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.”

特恩布尔表示：“澳大利亚是世界上最成功的多元文化国家——我们是一个移民国家。但没有改变的一个事实是，澳大利亚工人必须拥有获得澳大利亚工作岗位的优先权。”

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.

这一决定呼应了美国总统唐纳德?特朗普(Donald Trump)的举措。特朗普正准备下令整改一项面向技术工人的签证计划，以践行“买美国货/雇美国人”的信条。

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.

特恩布尔表示，将以一种旨在吸引“最优秀、最聪明”人才来澳的新签证来取代“457”签证。根据澳大利亚移民部门2016年的数据，澳大利亚1200万劳动者中，有9.6万人持“457”签证在该国工作。

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”签证持有者中，来自印度的占四分之一左右，英国人和中国人分别占19.5%和5.8%。信息技术(IT)、科研和酒店产业是使用这种签证最多的产业。

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

特恩布尔表示：“我们不会再允许457签证成为通向可以也应该提供给澳大利亚人的工作岗位的通行证。”

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

澳大利亚的失业率为5.9%，略低于经合组织(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”签证计划将被新签证取代。按照特恩布尔的说法，新签证将旨在解决主要城市以外的技能短缺问题，并会提高对移民的英语要求。