Australia has committed to clear the backlog of visas by investing 36.1 million dollars in visa processing to surge staff capacity by 500 people for the next nine months. This means waiting times will come down.
Announcing this today at the National Jobs and Skills Summit, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Andrew Giles said, “Australia’s visa system rests heavily on the shoulders of hundreds of people across the country.”
In addition to clearing the backlog, this will help deliver the permanent migration program, he said, adding, “There were almost a million visas waiting for this government after the election. Today, that number is around 900,000…The backlog will be cleared.”
Highlighting the plight of visa applicants, Giles said, “I have heard hundreds of stories of people waiting for their visa application to be progressed. Partners separated, not knowing when they would see each other again. Businesses unable to plan an investment decision because they don’t know when their applications will be finalised.”
He assured this government was getting on with the job of ending this crisis. Since the election, an additional 180 staff are working on visa processing. Currently, 190 staff are being on-boarded, and up to 200 staff are working regular overtime. “Because visa processing is critical to an effective migration system, for individuals, including workers and for businesses.”
The minister said now the median number of days it takes for a person coming to Australia on a temporary skilled visa is down from 53 days in May to 42 days in July.
And the median time taken to approve new businesses for sponsorship has halved, from 37 days to 18.
In May, students outside of Australia had to wait on average 40 days for their visa. Today, that figure is down to 31, he said.
Importantly, over half of all working holiday visas for young people overseas are now finalised in less than a day.
“The waiting times will continue to come down,” Giles said.
“Immigration is about nation building. We want, indeed we need, people to choose Australia. And our processes and policies must work together to support that choice,” he added.
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Australia has committed to clear the #backlog of #visas by investing 36.1 million dollars in #visa processing to surge staff capacity by 500 people for the next nine months. This means waiting times will come down. #TheIndianSunhttps://t.co/1toIwqHXdH
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