Since Australia opened its borders to holders of most common temporary visas on 15 December last year, in the past month and a half, the list has grown to include 43 visa subclasses that can enter without an exemption. On that page, the list of vaccines recognised by Australia has been gradually expanded and the details of medical exemptions from vaccination requirements have been progressively added,but bridging visas have never been added to the list,even though the visa list ends with:Additional visa subclasses may be added over time.
Bear in mind that many bridging visa holders arewaiting for skilled or near-skilled migration visas to be granted, waiting on the Subclass 190, the Subclass 491, the Subclass 482, and the…… Among them,many possess the very skills Australia urgently needs right now, in engineering, IT, nursing, and cooking,with jobs, families, and friends in Australia, or rather,those overseas who want to enter as soon as possible and settle here for good.
Yet this group of people — who have already made, or are ready to make, Australia their home — are now trapped in an impossible situation, seemingly forgotten by the Department of Home Affairs. On top of that, with Australia’s absurdly slow visa processing times, migration and near-migration visa applicants are waiting even longer than temporary visa holders….. Except for a handful of occupations, we’ve all developed the illusion that ‘only half a year is so short’ — waits of one or two years, and close to three years for those offshore, are commonplace.
A few weeks ago we compiled some data — you can look back at it:Waiting for the grant | Subclass 190/491 lodgement and grant figures for mainland Chinese applicants — nearly 2,000 Subclass 143 cases assessed! A Subclass 491-to-482 transfer granted in just two months!
And so, they’ve had enough!
First, they launched a petition demanding to be included in the border exemption list,which has now gathered 19,000 signatures,when we checked just a few days ago it was 15,000.
Then, over several consecutive days, ABC News, The Guardian, SBS, and 9News— all major Australian mainstream outlets — collectively spoke up for them.
The GuardianReport
SBS report
9News report
ABC report
Today we’ll share some data and analysis, along with a selection of stories — including what may well be your own situation.
Family, work, and visas — pulled in every direction
Emma’s family settled in Perth back in 2018 and are still waiting for their visa grant,her husband is a chef — one of the most in-demand skills in Australia right now, yet the entire family is stuck because of visa processing delays and border restrictions, unable to sponsor family members to come over, and unable to travel freely in and out of the country.
Bridging visa holders waiting onshore can technically leave the country,but without a special exemption, you can’t come back once you leave,Emma says: “I can’t risk going abroad and getting stuck outside. My husband has found a job here,and his employer needs him to be back in Australia.” “If we go our separate ways, it becomes yet another story of separation.”
Meanwhile,because their PR hasn’t officially been granted yet, her parents in the UK can’t come over either,she has applied for exemptions 14 times, yet her parents — who have received all three doses of an approved vaccine — are still being turned away.
After 15 December, the vast majority of temporary visa holders can travel freely in and out,yet people like them — just one step away from PR and with skills Australia critically needs — can still do nothing. She says this is what frustrates and angers them most.
An up-to-date returning-to-Australia information group has been set up
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Over the past couple of days, the government’sAged care services department has had no shortage of issues, with the minister only yesterday having to answer Senate committee questions about severe workforce shortages in the sector, and even being criticised for attending a cricket match. The opposition leader went so far as to say the minister should resign immediately…
The severe workforce shortage in the sector may not be entirely the aged care services minister’s fault,after all, the neighbouring Department of Home Affairs has been keeping thousands of offshore bridging visa holders who work in aged care from entering the country.
Data obtained from the Department of Home Affairs shows that on 15 December — the very day borders opened to temporary visa holders —there were nearly 19,000 Bridging Visa B holders onshore,These were people who had originally held Bridging Visa A onshore and obtained Bridging Visa B in order to depart, plus 4,246 Bridging Visa B holders offshore who were being kept out,meaning that active Bridging Visa B holders alone numbered more than 23,000.
Thanks to Australia’s ‘highly efficient’ visa processing system,the total number of people onshore holding bridging visas stands at 360,000,not far short of the population of the capital, Canberra.
As for those who applied offshore without a bridging visa, most are unable to enter the country,such is Australia’s visa processing speed…
Those onshore waiting for skilled migration grants are stuck and unable to attend family weddings or funerals; those offshore waiting for the same have had dozens of exemption applications rejected. There are far too many stories like this.
Given everything to this country, yet unable to travel freely
Even an aged care worker — one of the most critically needed roles in Australia — has applied for exemptions nearly 30 times and still cannot enter the country,Kaur Simar has applied for 28 entry exemptions based on skills shortage or employment grounds; her employer has sent numerous emails urging her return and explaining how indispensable she is — all rejected.
Restaurant manager Shorya Prashar’s AAT appeal has been pending for 29 months,with a projected wait of up to three years,and his bridging visa still restricts him from entering the country,meaning the end is nowhere in sight.
He says: “We are paying taxes, working for Australian employers who need us, working full-time. In six years of working here,we have given everything to this country, and all we want now is to be able to travel freely in and out. That we aren’t even entitled to that — we cannot understand the logic behind it.” he says.
Department of Home Affairs response
● The Department of Home Affairs’ response on the question of free travel for bridging visa holders was perfunctory and cold — a spokesperson said:
“The Government needs to balance the need to safely reopen with the ongoing need to protect Australian communities from Covid-19. These border policies have helped make Australia one of the countries with the lowest Covid-19 mortality rates, the strongest economy, and among the highest vaccination rates.””
Right,
ha,
ha —
very understandable…
●
In short, many in this group
possess skills that Australia urgently needs,
and
are working full-time and dutifully paying taxes,
and have already
built a life in Australia for many years,
waiting for visa grants or appeal outcomes until they start questioning everything
on one hand,
enduring the torment of Australia’s processing times,
on the other,
going years without seeing loved ones, with family unable to come to them either,
and on yet another side,
watching the government fall over itself to welcome temporary visa holders
while they themselves are left almost last in line
Put yourself in their shoes — wouldn’t you be furious?
Previously, Subclass 500/485 and other temporary visa holders, as well as supplementary policies for Subclass 489/491, all went through this same process of ‘fighting desperately for attention’,and we sincerely hope that, driven by this collective push, the Department of Home Affairs will at least formally acknowledge and consider the situation bridging visa holders are in, and address the consequences of their painfully slow processing times.
Study abroad / migration
Essential guides
Videos
Past highlights
At a migration crossroads and don’t know which way to turn? Read these real-life accounts..
At a migration crossroads and don’t know which way to turn? Read these real-life accounts..
2021 Australian graduate employment outcomes — useful for choosing your major, job hunting, and migration!
What recent Subclass 485 policy improvements really mean from a migration perspective — vocational graduates may be the biggest winners!
The 10 ‘sensitive’ questions you absolutely cannot get wrong when transitioning from Subclass 491/489 to PR
Migration information sharing and Q&A group
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Parents of PR/citizen holders — how can they enter Australia now?Click “original link”to watch the video guide
