The 457 visa has been hugely popular among the Irish since the economic crash in 2008 - but as of now it will not be available to any applicant.
"We're not defined by race or religion or culture, as many other nations are", Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters.
Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and immigration minister Peter Dutton just announced that the citizenship test to become an Australian is getting a major overhaul.
"It seems like a lot of change, but it's more of a cosmetic [rebranding] than anything else", said Henry Sherell, a research officer at the Development Policy Center of the Australian National University.
"These fundamental values are what make us Australian", Turnbull said.
New Delhi: India is examining "consequences" of Australia's decision to abolish the 457 visa programme, and said the issue will also be looked at in the context of free trade talks. Both the H-1B program and the 457 visa have been dominated by Indians in recent years, and have often been used as a path towards permanent residency.
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'Criminal activity, including family violence or involvement in organised crime, is thoroughly inconsistent with Australian values, ' Mr Turnbull said.
Current 457 visa holders will be unaffected by the changes. Under the new system, employers wishing to sponsor individuals for the visas will be required to prove that the candidates has at least two years of previous work experience and a higher level of English language competence than is now required.
In Delhi, the Australian High Commission sought to play down the impact of the decision, saying there "continues to be visa options for skilled Indian nationals".
He said the new visa would ensure that foreign workers were brought into Australia to fill critical skill gaps and not simply because it is easier to recruit a foreign worker than go for hiring an Australian. Some of the changes require English proficiency, an increase in application fees, subjection to labor market testing, and additional barriers to permanent migration after the work visa expires.
There are now more than 95,000 people in Australia on the 457 visa, the majority of from India, which accounts for nearly a quarter of the total intake, followed by the United Kingdom at 19.5% and China at 5.8%.
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