By Leah Hyslop
More than 140,000 skilled workers hoping to migrate to Australia are caught up in a departmental backlog going back over two years.
Immigration minister Chris Bowen was informed of the backlog in a secret briefing with Australia's Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) late last year, but the details of the briefing have only just been made public.
The backlog has been widely criticised by businessmen who believe that the number of skilled migrants in Australia needs to be swiftly increased in order to help the country ride out the economic crisis.
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