Small Western Australian cafe struggles with costly visa rules to keep Taiwanese worker

A café in Balingup, Western Australia, is finding the expense of sponsoring a Taiwanese employee on a skilled visa prohibitive as the government tightens migration thresholds.

Balingup café proprietor Brian Foster is battling steep immigration costs to retain Penny Hung, a Taiwanese traveler who has become a key all-rounder at his establishment. The Australian government’s recent hike in the minimum salary for sponsored skilled visas—from $53,900 to $79,423—has rendered the sponsorship financially out of reach for a small rural business. Although the South West Designated Area Migration Agreement offers a modest reduction, it is set to expire in December, and the adjusted minimum would still be about $71,480.

Meanwhile, policy shifts are redirecting migration priorities toward law-enforcement and defence sectors, leaving regional cafés competing with high-pay jobs at nearby lithium mine Talison Lithium. Migration specialist Maaike van der Zon notes that the rising thresholds and uncertain processing times, currently seven to nine months, further strain regional sponsors. A Department of Home Affairs spokesperson said the thresholds are indexed to average earnings to prevent exploitation of skilled migrants.