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In 1996, then Prime Minister Paul Keating proposed the 457 Temporary Skilled Employer Sponsored Visa program. The subsequent Howard government then oversaw the implementation of the scheme, which enabled Australia to catch up to the immigration programs of many other developed countries, and thus increase its participation in global trade.

The program still exists today and is vital to our nation’s ongoing ability to fill skill shortages in the labour market. It was strengthened in 2012 after research indicated that newly arrived migrants were finding it difficult to get into their nominated skilled occupations, despite having passed the points test to obtain permanent residence.

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