Some argue that the greatest change in migration patterns to Australia in the last decade or so is the change in emphasis from permanent to temporary migration—with temporary migration increasingly becoming the first step towards permanent settlement in Australia.The 457 visa— the Temporary (long stay) Business Visa (Subclass 457)—is the visa that is most commonly used by employers to sponsor overseas workers to work in Australia on a temporary basis. This research note provides statistics and background on the 457 visa, and discusses some of the controversies regarding temporary skilled and business migration.