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Visa Backlogs: The government will disclose progress. what happens next?
The Immigration Minister has made it clear that the government is making progress in tackling the ‘massive’ problem, so to help Australia remain competitive globally, Australia’s visa backlog has been lifted. said to need to be reduced.
In a speech at the Australian Migration Institute National Conference in Hobart on Wednesday, Andrew Giles revealed that the visa backlog now stands at around 880,000.
This is down from about 1 million inhumane applications before the federal elections held in May. Shortly after the Labor Party took power.
In his speech, Giles also said the minimum salary for qualifying for a skilled worker visa could change soon.
What is the government doing to clear visa arrears?
In July, the government announced it had decided to reduce its order backlog. .
same month, We were redirecting extra resources and hiring more staff to deal with the issue.
This was confirmed at the Jobs and Skills Summit in September, when the government announced spending. To speed up visa processing time.
Giles said in his speech that there are now 260 more staff working on visa applications. In addition he has 260 trained.
He said that since June 1, the ministry has processed more than 2 million temporary and permanent skills visa applications. This includes his 1.35 million visas for visitors, students and temporary skilled workers.
Giles said the “change in policy” would “streamline” the processing of temporary visas, leaving fewer backlogs.
Since June 1, about 2.2 million new visa applications have been received. That’s an increase of 495,000 compared to last year during the COVID-19 pandemic that closed borders.
Why is the government so eager to clear the backlog?
Giles said the backlog creates “ongoing uncertainty” for applicants, making it difficult for applicants as well as companies.
He said that “hundreds of thousands” of people will be using bridging visas, which may be issued as individuals’ substantive visas expire and new applications are waiting to be processed. said it was not “wise”.
“Australia cannot afford to operate in a non-competitive environment,” Mr Giles said at the conference.
He reiterated the federal government’s desire to improve the pathway to permanent residency after the federal government increased the permanent visa limit for the current fiscal year from 160,000 to 195,000.
“Major technology companies, medical research institutes, and major infrastructure companies are trying to recruit talent all over the world, and the impossibility of providing a pathway to the sponsored permanent residency they need to compete internationally. I am facing a situation.
“This government understands the benefits of permanent residency and the dangers of keeping people locked up on temporary visas.”
What about raising wages for immigrants?
Labor has previously pledged to raise the Temporary Skilled Migrant Income Threshold (TSMIT).
TSMIT is the minimum salary that must be offered when sponsoring temporary skilled immigrants and is currently set at $53,900. This figure has been frozen for nearly a decade.
More than 80% of full-time jobs pay more than that figure, according to Giles.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the average pre-tax income of a full-time adult Australian worker is $1,769.80 a week, or $92,029.60 a year.
“This wage is not an indication of where skilled workers will move in the modern labor market. did not clarify.
Australian Trade Union CouncilThe Australian Chamber of Commerce says it should be raised to $60,000.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/the-government-has-revealed-the-progress-made-in-tackling-the-massive-visa-backlog-what-happens-next/25l9ul8bv Visa Backlogs: The government will disclose progress. what happens next?