workforce
Immigration minister Andrew Giles said the department has slashed its visa backlog to 600,000 unprocessed visas since late 2022 . Picture : NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage .
Fast track
Is faster visa processing the key to solve Australia ’ s health shortages ?
By Elise Hartevelt
More overseas nurses are expected to take up work in Australia after a federal move has slashed waiting times for visa processing , a migration agent has said .
In December 2022 , the federal home affairs department started fast-tracking skilled migration visa applications to boost the influx of overseas nurses .
It introduced a new ministerial direction , number 100 that requires immigration staff to prioritise visas from healthcare workers and teachers .
The move came after the department named the immigration system ‘ outdated that no longer reflected the critical workforce shortages across Australia .’
Constantine Paxinos from PAX Migration Australia said visas were processed significantly faster compared to last year , where some receive an answer within three days .
“ After lockdowns for two years , it ’ s imperative to get skilled workers and talent into Australia to meet the job market demands ,” Paxinos said .
In June 2021 , the immigration department reported a backlog of nearly 1 million visas .
It ’ s estimated the global nursing workforce would need to fill between 13 to 15 million positions .
The UK is currently trying to attract 60,000 international nurses , with Australia projecting a shortfall of 123,000 nurses by 2030 .
Nurses are one of the nation ’ s most in-demand professions , with healthcare jobs expected to make up a quarter of the overall job market within five years .
Paxinos said the pandemic had significantly slowed down the processing of visas because of closed borders .
“ When you lock down for two years and suddenly open up , there ’ s an influx ,” he said .
“ That whiplash takes time to work through , but they ’ ll get there eventually .”
He said the department had added staff over the last year to raise its capacity and boost visa processing to meet Australia ’ s urgent workforce needs .
“ It ’ s an unenviable task to find a way to deal with all the different competing needs ,” he said .
“ They don ’ t have a magic wand and can ’ t just grant visas to everyone .”
“ It ’ s imperative
to get skilled workers and talent into Australia .
Shortages of healthcare workers have significantly impacted Australia ’ s rural and regions , with citizens reportedly waiting up to eight weeks to see a doctor or drive over four hours to see a specialist .
As a result , those in rural communities have poorer health outcomes , higher rates of hospitalisations and death than metropolitan areas .
A lack of affordable housing in rural towns and cities has also made attracting and retaining nurses more difficult .
Overseas nurses wanting to work in rural communities should have similar processing times compared to nurses applying for jobs in the city , Paxinos said .
“ The department does not differentiate between rural and metropolitan areas – they ’ re pretty much equal ,” he said .
“ So , immediately , nurses are at the top of the queue .”
However , the government does distinguish between applications lodged outside of Australia compared to those already in the country .
The Subclass 887 Skilled Regional Visa has been flagged ‘ unfair ’ due to significant delays of up to 27 months in visa processing . “ From the government ’ s point-of-view , they ’ re trying to get as many overseas skilled workers in as soon as possible ,” Paxinos explained .
“ But that has meant that everything else has to fight for its place . “ People who wait long are being treated very poorly by giving them a stonewall of silence .” People apply for the permanent subclass 887 Skilled Regional visa when they ’ ve held a temporary 489 visa , lived in Australia for two years , and worked for at least one .
While the visa is on the department ’ s priority list , Paxinos said people often wait much longer because the form doesn ’ t ask for the applicant ’ s occupation .
As a result , nurses waiting on an 887 visa are not being prioritised .
Paxinos recommended healthcare workers currently staying on an 887 visa to write to the department to explain their situation .
“ The direction 100 is very clear : if you ’ re a nurse applying for a visa , you should be on top of the priority list ,” he said . ■
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