Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced he is abolishing the 457 visa program for skilled migrants.
On his official Facebook page he said "we're putting jobs first and we’re putting Australians first by abolishing 457 visas. Watch the clip below to find out what these reforms mean."
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The majority of the visa holders were from India followed by the UK and China at 19.5 per cent and 5.8 per cent.
Later, he along with Immigration Minister Peter Dutton made an official announcement to the media.
The latest figures from the Immigration Department stated there had been a drop in 457 visas holders in Australia to 95,758 in September 2016.
ABC News reports that Turnbull said the four-year visas for skilled migrants would be replaced with a new temporary visa with added requirements, including work experience and better English-language skills.
The new visa would be "specifically designed to recruit the best and the brightest in the national interest", PM Turnbull said.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, whose party had been calling for tougher restrictions on the use of skilled migrants, tweeted that "the only job Malcolm Turnbull cares about saving is his own".
Bill Shorten Source: Bill Shorten Twitter
