This is one government response to the 16 recommendations made by an external reference group established to improve the temporary skilled migration program.

Federal Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Chris Evans said the Government had already started to implement 14 of the 16 recommendations.

The experts’ report covers seven broad areas: long-term planning; streamlining application and approval processes; improving the effectiveness of government resources; eliminating duplication; providing scope for flexibility; remaining competitive; and branding.

The creation of the specialised teams or “Centres of Excellence” was a key recommendation. The ERG report says specialised teams dedicated to regions, industries and projects would allow a more responsive service and reduce backlogs.

Evans said he had directed the department to allocate extra resources and work overtime to clear the backlog of 457 visa applications by June 30.

At April 1 there had been 39,940 temporary skilled visas granted in 2007-08. On current projections that is 17% higher than the previous year when 46,680 were granted.

Another key recommendation is to establish an accreditation system. This would let those employers with good immigration and industry law records to get their 457 applications fast-tracked.

“The department is currently working on information technology system changes to support the identification of ‘low risk’ employers who can then have their applications processed by the specialised teams,” Evans said.

Other government accepted recommendations in the ERG report include:

Development of a long-term strategy to respond to aggregate labour market and skill needs and population trends;

Expansion of the department’s front-end support through the industry and regional outreach programs to help employers and industry lodge “decision ready” applications;

Comprehensive staff training to improve risk-management procedures and increase the efficiency of 457 visa processing;

Increasing competition between service providers in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the English language testing service; and

That the recommendations implemented by government be reviewed two years after they have been introduced.

Evans said the Government would consider a further two of the ERG’s recommendations.

The ERG is of the view that 457 visas are not suitable to meet semi-skilled and unskilled labour demands except through the use of Labour Agreements for semi-skilled workers.

The group also recommended renaming the Business Long Stay Subclass 457 Visa as the Temporary Skilled Migration Visa to improve market recognition.

According to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website, a labour agreement is a formal agreement to recruit a number of overseas workers. Both temporary and permanent visas can be granted under the agreement. These agreements are generally effective for up to three years.

The ERG was made up of Xstrata chairman Peter Coates, Business Council of Australia chief executive Melinda Cilento and University of Western Australia Energy and Minerals Initiative director Tim Shanahan.