Australian visas are now being responded to within days
The Australian Department of Home Affairs recently said that the average processing times for different types of visas, such as those for foreign students and skilled workers in the health and education sectors, will be cut by a large amount.
Last week, the department announced on social media that it was streamlining Australia's visa systems and processes, which would cut working times by a large amount.
Visas in the Subclass 500 Student and Subclass 482 Temporary Skilled Shortage categories can now be processed in as little as two to three weeks.
The Department told SBS Hindi that between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, they hired almost 600 new people to help process temporary and movement visas.
In 2022-23, almost 8.3 million visas were approved by the Department of Home Affairs, which was 190 percent more than in 2021-22.
Home Affairs Department
A spokesperson for the department said that the government understood the important role skilled migrants played in building the country, promoting cultural variety, bringing people together, and making the economy grow.
"On October 27, 2022, Clare O'Neil signed a new Ministerial Direction (MD 100) as the Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Cyber Security. The number of visa processing priorities has been reduced by MD 100, resulting in increased efficiency and decreased processing times for all cases, according to the source.
Several types of visas now take less time to process.
As of June 2023, the average amount of time it takes to process student visa (Subclass 500) applications in all industries and locations is said to be less than two weeks.
The applications for the Subclass 482 visa and the Employer Nomination Scheme visa (Subclass 186) in the teaching and health fields are also being handled as quickly as possible.
When a visa Subclass 482 application is submitted, it is looked at and processed if it is complete within one business day. For a visa Subclass 186 application, it is looked at and processed within two business days.
Applicants in the teaching and health fields who didn't finish their applications in the time allotted may need to provide more information.
Also, the amount of time it takes to process up to 90% of Working Holiday visa (Subclass 417) applications from people who live outside of Australia has been cut to a maximum of 14 days.
The DHA added that the processing time for lengthy skilled visas has decreased to seven months from twelve months in February of 2023.
Expert Opinion
According to Neha Singh, a migration agency, the processing time for her clients' visas was shorter than previously.
She said that most visa applications can be made online through the digital platform. If the applications are correct and include all the necessary papers, there shouldn't be any extra delays in processing the visas.
We've seen a big change in how long it takes to process things, even for permanent visas, she said.
Before putting in an application, applicants should always double-check all the information and papers. If visa applicants don't send the right information, it could cause delays or even get them turned down for a visa.
According to Neha Singh, a relocation manager, your visa application would be processed more quickly if it is "decision-ready."
Ms Singh also suggested that people who want student visas should only fill out one application instead of multiple ones and get all the papers they need on the first try.
Statistics and information
Official data show that the number of Student visa applications on hand has dropped by 66.2% compared to the same time last year. This means that about 48,800 applications are still being processed.
There was also a 73% drop in requests for temporary visas, from over 600,000 on June 30, 2022 to just over 161,000 on June 30, 2023.
The department has two online resources for people who want to apply for student visas: 'Check twice, send once' and 'Who can help you with your application'.
India is still the country that sends the second most foreign students to study in Australia.
As of May 2023, there were 608,942 international students taking classes in Australia. More than 98,000 of these students were from India, which is a big part of this amount.
