Australia has been struggling to process all visa applications since reopening its borders after the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, you can read how this backlog affects applying for an Australia visa and how you can do so.
Australia open to students, migrant workers and tourists
Most countries have reopened their borders to travellers after all travel was suspended for two years due to COVID-19. Australia has also reopened its borders to tourists, guest workers and students after a very strict entry ban. The Australian Immigration Service has noticed that Australia is once again being visited because of the large number of visa applications. There are now so many applications that Australia struggles to process them all. Especially international students w(Subclass 500 Student Visa) and migrant workers (Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (Subclass 491)) notice that the processing time of their visa application takes much longer than usual. For the Student Visa, it can take up to 85 days for a visa to be approved and for the Skilled Work visa, it can even take up to 22 months.
Apply for your Australia visa on time, to enjoy the Australian views without worries.
New government takes action
Therefore, after the elections in May 2022, the new government quickly came up with a plan to solve this backlog, which was created by budget cuts in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19 and an explosion of visa applications after COVID-19, as soon as possible. For example, they are redistributing resources such as civil servants and money to deploy them where the pressure is highest. For example, more civil servants and thus more salary are needed to shorten the previously mentioned waiting time of the Skilled Work visa than are needed for the Student Visa.
On holiday to Australia
So far, fortunately, the processing time of tourist visas such as the ETA (subclass 601) and the eVisitor visa (subclass 651) does not seem to have been greatly affected by the large volume of visa applications. Nevertheless, it is wise to always apply for your Australia visa well in advance to avoid any unexpected circumstances. In order to be well-prepared, take a look at the requirements or costs and delivery times for the various visas, so that you can apply for your visa on time and fully enjoy the Australian landscape and its great cultural diversity.
Please note: this news article about the visa for Australia is more than one year old. It might contain outdated information and advice, and no rights can therefore be derived from this article. Are you going on a trip soon and do you wish to do know what rules currently apply? Read all about the up-to-date information about the visa for Australia.