Australia speeds up visa processing times amid talent crunch, huge demand for nurses

Australia speeds up visa processing times amid talent crunch, huge demand for nurses

In the current financial year, Australia will increase its permanent immigration numbers by 35,000 to 195,000. This is being done to increase the focus toward long-term migrants, as businesses look for support in battling widespread staff shortages. 

During the pandemic, Australia closed its borders for about two years. The strict rules enforced at the time, and the resulting exodus of holiday workers and foreign students have left the economy struggling, Businesses are short-staffed, and hospitals are looking for overseas qualified nurses to fill the talent deficit.

As Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil told a government jobs summit recently, “Based on projections, this could mean thousands more nurses settling in the country this year, thousands more engineers.”  

She further said, “COVID is presenting us, on a platter, with a chance to reform our immigration system that we will never get back again. I want us to take that chance.” 

The 2-day summit was convened in Canberra by the recently elected centre-left Labor government and invited prominent business groups and unions to help find solutions to key economic challenges.

Statistics show that Australia’s unemployment rate is now at a near 50-year-low of 3.4 per cent. However, soaring inflation means real wages are down. 

As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters, “We want people … to have a mortgage, to raise a family, to join the Australian family. Migration is part of our story”. 

For a while now, businesses have been urging the government to raise the cap on annual immigration, in order to fill the labour gap with overseas professionals who have the skills required to make a difference. 

Along with other developed countries, Australia is on a campaign to lure more skilled employees from overseas with many countries looking to ease immigration rules.

However, a blowout in visa processing times in Australia has left at least a million prospective workers stuck in limbo. This has further worsened the staffing crisis. 

During his speech, Immigration Minister Andrew Giles told the summit, “We understand that when people wait and wait, the uncertainty can become unmanageable. This is not good enough, and reflects a visa system that has been in crisis.” 

Speeding up visa processing, Mr Giles said the government will spend A$36.1 million to increase its staff capacity by 500 people, at least for the next nine months. This amount will be directed for the improvement of visa procedure for international students and for reducing delays in visa decisions. 

This increase will take place in the present financial year, ending June 2023.