Key Points
- Australia gains nothing from not allowing people to get settled and making them vulnerable to exploitative work conditions, a new report says.
- In the last decade, although the number of people who may make onshore visa applications has rapidly increased, the Department of Home Affairs has reduced the number of officers assigned to onshore visa processing.
- It often takes months and sometimes years for the Department to process a visa application, making it hard for migrant workers to have job security and plan their future.
The Migrant Workers Centre (MWC) released its new report last week titled that indicates 'unjustifiable discrepancies' in the treatment of permanent and temporary visa applicants by the Department of Home Affairs.
"Unacceptably high numbers of onshore visa applicants are waiting as long as three years for the outcome of their applications. The Department of Home Affairs prioritises offshore, temporary applicants to meet the short term needs of businesses," the MWC said.
Protest against delays in Subclass 887 was held in Hobart. Credit: Brijesh Batra
"In the last few years, its processing time has more than doubled. Migrant workers who are waiting for their subclass 887 visa are frustrated by the processing delay because it’s extremely difficult to plan one’s life if they don’t know whether their visa will be granted and when," the report said.
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It further noted that in the last decade, the number of people on Bridging visas has become six times bigger.
"The longer visa processing times get, the more migrant workers on Bridging visas there are," it said, while indicating that the number of migrants on bridging visas rose from 92,055 in 2016 to 333,357 in 2021.
A protest in Hobart by 887 visa applicants demanding faster visa processing. Credit: Supplied by Brijesh Batra
The figure reveals it takes longer than half a year for most visas to be processed.
"For example, a migrant worker who applies for a Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) can expect to wait for 39 months to become a permanent resident while one applying for an Employer sponsored visa (subclass 186) can meet the goal in 12 months," the report said.
Permanent visa grant notification letters state your length of stay is “indefinite from the date of each arrival”. Temporary visas, on the other hand, have an expiry date written on them. Credit: Epoxydude/Getty Images/fStop
It makes numerous recommendations, including establishing clear paths to permanent residency for all temporary visa programs, allocating more resources to the processing services, and hiring more processing officers.
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It further proposes that visa applicants have the option of getting their application fee refunded if their application remains unresolved for one year, that all applications be processed within six months at the very latest, expansion of services for migrant workers’ access to court and recovery of stolen wages and provision of updates on the progress of visa processing regularly.
On the same day the report was released, protests were held in Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart and Brisbane over the delays in 887 visas.
A protest in Melbourne by 887 visa applicants. Credit: Supplied by Brijesh Batra
"It is important that the government be fair, and that an equal number of visa applications be processed from all visa categories, not just a few," Mr Batra said.
"The temporary visa status prohibits us from taking up any good jobs, even if we are eligible. Therefore, we are unable to plan for the future," he added.
"Even if our visa application meets all requirements, it means little as it is placed at the bottom of the Department's priority list."
