Australia’s visa backlog slashed further ahead of 2023

Minister for Immigration Andrew Giles during Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra. Photo: AAP/Mick Tsikas

Australia has slashed the visa backlog hitting the 600,000 milestone by the end of the year.

Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Andrew Giles, said that “we were left with almost 1 million visas in the department in-tray in June, and we haven’t wasted a day in cleaning up the mess, waste and mismanagement left by a decade of the former Liberal government”.

“By ramping up processing in the Department of Home Affairs and hiring over 400 extra staff, I’m proud to say that we have now processed over 4 million visas since coming to government,” he continued, adding that his has made a huge difference- to the lives of Australians re-connected with loved ones before Christmas, “and to addressing the skills shortages that have affected all of us”.

The minister also announced an extension to allow backpackers to work with a single employer for the length of their visa, supporting Australian employers over summer and continuing to foster cultural connections between young people in Australia and partner countries.

“In line with the Australian government’s commitment to improve processing times, visas for Working Holiday Makers applying outside Australia are being finalised in less than one day,” he noted.

There have now been over 120,000 offshore backpackers granted visas in time for the holidays, stressing that Australia understands how important immigration is to ensuring certainty for individuals, families and businesses.

Source: neoskosmos.com