Australia seeks to change visa deal with UK after influx of Britons
Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has signalled he wants to revisit the visa arrangements for British backpackers after numbers more than doubled. He met Andy Burnham on Monday evening at Chogm in the Caribbean, where the two discussed changing the UK-Australia agreement that currently exempts Britons from regional work requirements.
Pressure on local labour markets
Under the free trade agreement signed under Boris Johnson, British travellers no longer have to do about three months of rural work that many other nationalities must complete as a visa condition. The deal also extended the maximum visa period to three years and raised the age limit to 35. But the changes led traveller numbers to jump from 40,000 two years ago to 87,000 last year, with the majority concentrated in Sydney and beachside suburbs.
Albanese told the Australian parliament that the influx is putting pressure on the local workforce. “They are staying at Bondi Beach or Coogee or around particularly the capital cities and working in hospitality there. That’s placing enormous pressure because it’s distorting the labour market in these areas as well,” he said. Burnham confirmed the meeting but declined to comment on potential changes, saying only “we’ll see” when asked if they were on the agenda.
The easing of visa restrictions also applies to Australians coming to the UK, but fewer than 10,000 came last year. A Downing Street spokesperson said discussions about visas took place at the bilateral meeting in Antigua, but no commitments were made. The readout of the meeting noted that both leaders underlined the importance of ensuring opportunities for young people at home and abroad, and they looked forward to continuing discussions during Chogm.
