in december 2014, the department of immigration and border protection released recommendations to relax 457 visa requirements. the recommendations include extending the six month short term work visa to 12 months with no obligation to apply for a 457 visa. the construction, forestry, mining and energy union (cfmeu) has criticized this change on the grounds that it avoids the 457 visa's requirement for english language and skills tests and employers would not be required to demonstrate they had first tried to fill job vacancies with australian workers.