Migrate to Australia: visa delays forecast
19 August 2016 by News DeskMigrate to Australia can be a lengthy process and it could be extended as a result of staff cuts, Union chiefs say.
Migrate to Australia paperwork and checking process is bound to be impacted by government plans to cut 300 jobs at the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
But Union chiefs claim that up to 800 jobs face the axe and that existing staff will have to cope with a far greater workload, leading to delays in processing visa and immigration applications.
“The effect of planned jobs cuts has yet to be seen,” says Darrell Todd, founder of thinkingaustralia.
“People involved in visa applications or who may be planning to migrate to Australia should contact their agent to find out if they are affected in any way”.
Migrate to Australia: possible visa delays
The government says it will reduce staff numbers by 305 with voluntary redundancies among middle management.
The remainder of job losses will come from a hiring freeze and by not replacing staff that leave.
The job cuts come as border control chiefs seek to manage a $116 million budget cut this year.
Australia’s Community and Public Sector Union claims that up to 800 jobs will ultimately go across the department
Rupert Evans, CPSU Deputy National President, says staffing cuts are “short-sighted” and will undermine border security. He says there is already over 1,000 fewer staff in the Department of Immigration and Border Protection than there was in 2012.
In the past four years the volume of international visitors has risen by 3.6 million. An extra 2.8 million visas are now being processed, 500,000 more freight and cargo items are being inspected and over nine million more parcels and items of international mail must be checked.
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