Australia: Minister urges states to increase skilled immigration

Australian Immigration Minister Chris Evans is urging states and territories to increase their use of state-sponsored skilled migration to meet labor market demands.

"There is the capacity within the Federal Government's permanent skilled migration program for states and territories to sponsor overseas skilled workers in occupations in demand," Evans said.

Evans noted that the government recently added an extra 31,000 skilled migrant places to the 2008-09 Migration Program in an effort to help employers in Australia deal with skills shortages. In total, skilled migration makes up 133,500 places in the Migration Program.

"I will be encouraging the states and territories to increase their use of state-sponsored migration to better link skilled workers to the economic needs in their jurisdictions," Evans said. He said that the government would consider providing "greater flexibility" for states and territories under the sponsorship program to enable them to sponsor more skilled migrants.

According to Department of Immigration and Citizenship figures, state and territory sponsored skilled migration only makes up 10 percent of overall skilled migration into Australia in recent years. In comparison, employer sponsored immigration makes up 20 percent.

Skilled workers coming to Australia under independent skilled migration visas -- the visa of choice for most individuals looking to live and work in Australia -- continue to dominate the program at over 50 percent.

Australia: Experts to advise government on 457 visas

A panel of experts will advise the Australian government on how to improve its temporary 457 visa scheme, according to Immigration Minister Chris Evans.

The panel will include various Australian state government officials as well as industry groups and union representatives.

Australia's temporary 457 visa -- similar to the United States H-1B visa -- allows Australian employers to hire workers from abroad. Controversy has surrounded the program related to allegations of employer-exploitation of workers.

In addition to providing advice pertaining to possible skilled migration policy changes, the panel will advise the government on an ongoing "integrity" review of the 457 visa program and provide feedback on reform proposals.

The panel will also examine how the temporary 457 visa program "can best integrate with the employer and state-sponsored permanent skilled migration program," according to a press release by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

Employer and state-sponsored permanent migration makes up a small part of Australia's immigration program, something Minister Evans would like to see changed. Currently, more than 50 percent of skilled immigrants come to Australia under its independent visa categories, which do not require sponsorship or a previous job offer.

Australia responds to need for skilled migrants

Three new Australian 'Centres of Excellence' have been set up in Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne to speed up the processing of temporary 457 visa applications for employers wishing to hire overseas workers.

The centers were set up in response to increasing demand by Australian employers for skilled workers from overseas to help ease labor shortages.

The 457 visa allows Austrlalian employers to employ skilled workers from abroad to fill occupations in Australia on a temporary basis for between three months and four years.

The centers come in response to recommendations by a panel of experts commissioned by the government to help improve the efficiency of the 457 visa program.

According to Immigration Minister Chris Evans, 457 visa processing times were already showing improvement.

"In June 2007, an average of 400 cases was processed within seven days whereas in June 2008, more than 1200 applicants were granted visas within a week," Evans said.

"The 457 program is critical to meeting the current labour market demands and the new Centres of Excellence will continue to improve the effectiveness of the processing of visas," he added.

Australian immigration authorities were dealing with a backlog of about 13,000 subclass 457 visa applications since March. That backlog has since been cleared.

The 457 visa is only one of many visas designed to bring skilled overseas workers to Australia. The General Skilled Migration (GSM) program allows skilled individuals in a long list of occupations to immigrate to Australia permanently, with or without an existing job offer with an Australian employer.