What’s Causing the Visa Processing Delays
Visa processing delays are a challenge many of our corporate clients are currently grappling with, as new employee visas are taking longer than expected to be approved. Our clients are all facing the same issue: they’ve recruited overseas employees who are relocating to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide to start on projects, but those hires are still waiting on their visas to come through. So, what’s causing the visa processing delays? The answer lies in recent changes to Australia’s migration policy.
Ongoing policy changes commonly referred to as Ministerial Direction 119 are the cause of these delays. This policy is aimed at lowering overall net overseas migration, which has resulted in slower processing speeds across multiple temporary and permanent visa categories.
In a recent speech at the National Press Club in Canberra, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke described the overhaul as the “next stage” of policies designed to deliver the net overseas migration (NOM) figures set out in the budget — 245,000 this year and 225,000 next financial year. He outlined a raft of changes he said would restore the “integrity” of the migration program and give the federal government more “control” over the demand-driven components of the system. These changes have been driven by the need to manage the challenges Australia is facing with housing.
One of the key changes under Ministerial Direction 119 is a directive that moves general offshore skilled and employer-sponsored visa applications behind onshore applicants. Effectively, this has meant some skilled visa applications have been pushed to the back of the queue for processing. The government has also now set specific priority industries that will be processed more quickly than others — including construction, healthcare, agriculture, fisheries, and teaching occupations. So, if your business isn’t in one of these priority sectors, visa processing times can blow to many months.
Understanding what’s causing the visa processing delays in your industry is the first step to planning around them.
There are, however, some ways that companies and employees can manage these delays once a visa is finally granted — because we understand that once a visa is processed, the company wants the employee relocated to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, or Adelaide, often within a matter of weeks.
At Australian Relocation Managers, our employee relocation process starts well before employees arrive in Australia. A number of months before the expected arrival date, we meet with our clients via Zoom. We spend time understanding their relocation requirements, work through their needs analysis, and discuss how the overall process works. We also help employees set up their renter profile, reviewing it to identify any missing documents or additional information needed to ensure they have a strong application.
This pre-planning means everything is in place for the moment the visa comes through, so we can start inspecting properties straight away. That often means we’re out inspecting properties and taking clients on live FaceTime tours within days of their visa being issued. It also means employees are ready to apply for a rental property immediately.
By securing a long-term rental quickly, we also remove the need for expensive short-term accommodation. We understand that companies have already faced delays getting projects started, and the last thing they want is additional costs, like short-term accommodation added to the relocation process.
So, no matter what’s causing the visa processing delays for your business, you can count on Australian Relocation Managers to keep the relocation process moving.
