‘Indian yoga teachers’ row sparks debate as Australia tightens visa rules

Australia's immigration debate has turned the spotlight on international students, temporary visa pathways and a claim involving yoga teachers, with Tony Burke, immigration minister, seeking to draw a distinction between legitimate migration and the vias-hopping.In his recent address to the National Press Club, Burke said the government supported immigration as a contributor to Australia's economy but wanted greater control over a system that had historically relied heavily on demand-driven migration.Addressing claims that Australia was bringing in more yoga teachers than construction workers, Burke said: “There is an endless refrain that the government is bringing in yoga teachers and not construction workers, to the extent that the shadow minister for housing, Senator Bragg, has even said we are bringing in more yoga teachers than construction workers.”Debunking this claim, he pointed out that the number of construction workers brought in during the previous financial year was just under 15,000, compared with 4,500…