AUSTRALIA is allowing more IT specialists to enter than ever due to a new type of visa and a shortage of valuable skills.

Australia’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) granted a record 4290 employment visas to IT companies in the nine months preceeding 31st March 2007 – more than the previous financial year in its entirety.

"If the department continues to approve applications for 457 visas at current rates, the number of IT professionals using the scheme will jump 35 percent this year," said Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews.

This follows news that the number of temporary places available for skilled migrants has risen by 5,000 to 102,500 for the financial year beginning April 2007.

The new visa type which allows such an increase is known as a ‘457.’ It allows Australian companies to temporarily employ foreigners to fill a shortfall in skills which are rare in Australia.

One snag is that some companies have exploited the visa’s terms to employ and underpay temporary immigrants.

However the Australian government is combating such violations with tough punishments, and rewarding those organisations which respect the terms of the visa by fast-tracking their future 457 applications.

This whole venture is based around the Australian government’s long-term endeavours to recruit young, skilled migrants to its workforce and maintain its healthy economy. Low birth-rates and a therefore aging workforce mean the country is at risk of having too few workers to support those citizens who have retired.

Australia is not alone in experiencing this phenomenon – high standards of living and healthy economies in countries such as Canada, New Zealand, Germany and Japan mean that an increasing number or citizens are wealthy enough to travel and live abroad.