South Australia's biggest private hospital group has been warned it could be banned from hiring foreign medical staff after a Tanzanian nurse was sacked for being pregnant.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship said it could also cancel the Adelaide Community Healthcare Alliance's existing sponsorship rights under the 457 temporary work visa program if the woman, Joan Katula, is found to have been unfairly dismissed.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24731315-2702,00.html

Hi Alan

Thank you for this. I am pleased to see that DIAC are reported as having pointed out that the hospital could have solved the problem by sponsoring the lady for an immediate ENS visa instead of bleating about what it couldn't do under the terms of the 457 visa.

Hopefully DIAC will be keen to encourage ENS & RSMS visas wherever possible rather than have migrants in the country under the potentially unsatisfactory 457 visa?

Best wishes

Gill

Yes, I hope so too, Gill.

I hear comments on the grapevine to the effect that the Department is going to commit in the next few weeks to processing RSMS applications in no more than 2 months. That would change the dynamics of employer sponsored visa processing - and the perceptions of employers as to which visa is most suitable for overseas employees required relatively urgently.

Best regards.