The federal government is reintroducing temporary protection visas to clear a backlog of 30,000 asylum seeker cases.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison introduced legislation to parliament on Thursday that will create more rapid processing and streamlined review arrangements.

The measures are expected to have the support of the Palmer United Party in the Senate, ensuring their passage through parliament.

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The legislation provides for fast tracking of asylum-seeker claims and to speed up removal of people who aren’t owed protection.

It will also create a new visa class known as safe haven enterprise visa.

References to the United Nations refugee convention will be removed from the Migration Act and replaced with new provisions that articulate Australia’s interpretation of its protection obligations under the convention.

Children born in Australia to asylum seeker parents will be treated as unauthorised maritime arrivals.

“This will help ensure that the tap stays off and we never return to the cost, chaos and tragedy that Labor and the Greens created,” Mr Morrison told parliament.

Temporary protection visas were created initially by the Howard government in 1999, but abolished by the Rudd government in 2008.

Unlike with bridging visas, holders of TPVs will have the right to work.

They will also have access to Medicare and social security benefits.

The visas will be issued for up to three years.

The new safe haven visas, valid for five years, will be open to asylum seekers now within the processing case load.

They will encourage people to live in regional areas and fill job vacancies.

Access to the Refugee Review Tribunal will be closed off to discourage unmeritorious claims.

HOW THE GOVERNMENT PLANS TO PROCESS ASYLUM SEEKERS WHO HAVE ARRIVED IN AUSTRALIA BY BOAT:

* Reintroduce temporary protection visas.

* Create a new visa class to be known as a safe haven enterprise visa.

* Create a new fast-track assessment process and remove access to the Refugee Review Tribunal for fast-track applicants.

* Remove most references to the United Nations Refugee Convention from the Migration Act and replace them with a new statutory framework which articulates Australia’s interpretation of its protection obligations under the convention.

* Statutory limit on the number of protection visas in each year.

* Tighter circumstances test for the “well-founded fear of prosecution” claim for protection.