Australia to speed processing of migrant visas

06/05/2008 02:15:58

Australia's federal government says it will set up new centres, and provide more resources, to the immigration department to speed up processing of 457, or skilled migrant, visas.

Our reporter Naomi Woodley reports the Federal Government is accepting most of the recommendations from a review of the 457 visa system.

The immigration department will put extra resources into clearing the current backlog of applications by the end of June.

The government says specialised centres will also be set up in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth to process visas from July, and teams will concentrate on regions, industries or projects to address particular shortages.

Employers classified as "low-risk" will be able to have their applications fast-tracked under an accreditation system.

The Federal Opposition is supporting the recommendations, but says many had previously been identified and announced by the Howard government.

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