To address a shortfall of skilled workers, the Australian immigration minister has directed the Department of Home Affairs to accelerate visa applications. On Wednesday the 15th of June, Andrew Giles, the new government’s minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services, and Multicultural Affairs, announced that clearing the backlog of visa applications is the primary concern.
“Processing outstanding visa applications is a priority for the Australian government. I have raised my concerns with the current state of visa processing with the Department of Home Affairs, and we are committed to ensuring that visa applications are processed in a timely manner.”
According to him, the previous government did not release data on the number of skilled worker visa applications that had been submitted.
However, from a high of 195,000 in 2014 to 96,000 in 2022, the total number of skilled temporary visa holders in Australia has shrunk. Employers are dealing with “protracted” processing timeframes for skilled migrants, according to Andrew McKella.