The Fast Track Visa system allows UK companies to import workers that possess skills the Government says are in shortage. However, the PCG argued that the list of skills was "inaccurate and so out-of-date as to be irrelevant" and that the scheme was harming the contracting sector.
The PCG this month convinced the Government to drop C/C++ and Javascript skills from its Shortage Occupation List. In March, it convinced the Government to drop Oracle Database Administrators from the list. Last year other IT skills, including programming languages Java, Perl and Visual Basic were also removed from the list.
The PCG, which represents the interests of 14,000 small businesses in the knowledge-based sector, became a member of the Government's Skills Sector Panel for IT in autumn last year. The panel advises what skills in the IT sector are in short supply and would be eligible for the issuing of Fast Track Visas to overseas workers to meet a perceived need in the market-place.
Work Permits UK is the government agency responsible for the issue of Work Permits and controls what skills are on the short occupation list.