A Country Cafe's Struggle to Keep a Valued Worker

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Topic: Migration Policy

Friday, 7 August 2026, at 8:05 am

Brian Foster's cafe is one of the few in Balingup.

In short

A country cafe wants to keep a Taiwanese worker, but Australia's migration rules are challenging.

The cafe owner, Brian Foster, says the cost of a temporary skilled migration visa is too high.

What's next?

The government plans to change migration rules to reduce net overseas migration.

A cafe owner in Western Australia is struggling to keep a valued worker due to migration uncertainty.

Penny Hung has become a part of Balingup, 231 kilometers south of Perth.

Balingup has about 560 people and is far from Ms. Hung's home in Taiwan.

She works at the cafe and is a mainstay employee.

I prefer the country life, she said.

Penny Hung is trying to get a visa to stay in Balingup.

Balingup is special; people here are caring.

It's hard to stay here.

Keeping qualified staff is impossible

Cafe owner Brian Foster says Ms. Hung is a core part of the cafe.

Mr. Foster is trying to sponsor Ms. Hung, but it's expensive.

Brian Foster says Ms. Hung is crucial to his business.

The government is reducing net overseas migration, changing priorities for visa applicants.

Balingup is near a large lithium mine where many people work.

Why work in a cafe when you can earn more at the mine?

Ms. Hung is trying to secure a long-term solution to stay in Australia.

Pay thresholds are increasing

The government increased the pay threshold for sponsored employees in 2023.

The threshold has risen to $79,423.

We want to hear your stories.

The South West Designated Area Migration Agreement offers some concessions.

The agreement is due to expire in December.

If Mr. Foster gets a concession, the minimum salary would be $71,480.

Penny Hung is working to secure a visa.

When the income was $50,000, it was doable for a small business.

Sponsorships are expensive

Migration agent Maaike van der Zon says the increases in minimum salaries are significant.

It's difficult for people to find sponsorship due to high costs.

Maaike van der Zon says high salaries make it hard for regional businesses.

A Department of Home Affairs spokesperson says skilled visa income thresholds are indexed annually.

Indexing reduces the risk of exploitation of skilled migrants.

The government's migration system overhaul details are not yet known.

The spokesperson says the new ministerial direction prioritizes onshore applicants.

Ms. van der Zon welcomes the move to prioritize onshore applicants.

She wants to know the impact on visa processing times.

Visa processing times are currently seven to nine months.

We don't know if the new direction will reduce processing times.

We need to see if it will make a difference.

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