Bridging visa surge includes 37,000 mystery holders and swamps permanent migration cuts

Source: ABC Net, 23/05/2018

Massive growth in Australia`s ballooning temporary migration is
dwarfing the Government`s cuts to the permanent intake.
Key points:
• An extra 40,000 people are in Australia on bridging visas
compared to a year ago
• The Government has revealed it plans to cut the permanent
intake by up to 20,000 this year
• More than 2.2 million temporary visa holders are currently in
Australia, a record high
The number of people who hold bridging visas â€` the same kind of visa
given to the Commonwealth Games athletes who are seeking asylum â€` has
hit a historic high.
At the end of March, 195,000 people with bridging visas were in
Australia, including more than 37,000 whose nationality was not
specified.
That is up more than 40,000 on a year ago, and close to 90,000 since
2014, according to official Department of Home Affairs figures.
It has pushed the number of people in Australia on temporary visas to
more than 2.2 million â€` again, a record high.
Bridging visas are usually given to migrants whose substantive
applications are currently being processed.
Jonathan Granger, director of Granger Australia and a former national
president of the Migration Institute of Australia, described the
migration program as `chaotic`.
`The resources available to the department are limited every year by
Government, and yet Government rolls out reform agendas that are not
well thought through, that require transitional arrangements and
require multiple layers of processing against regulations in the same
visa areas,` he said.
`The result of those things is significant delays.`
Attempt to cut migration
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said the Government was planning
on cutting the permanent migration intake from its traditional level
of 190,000 per year, down to approximately 170,000 this year.
But that number is dwarfed by the scale of the temporary visa program.
In the past year an additional 150,000 visitors are in Australia on
temporary visas, including 33,000 more foreign students.
Many of these â€` such as students, backpackers and many bridging visa
holders â€` have extensive work rights.
Mr Granger believes the spike in bridging visas was likely to be
caused by a combination of factors, including more applications due
to major program changes and cutbacks in resources at the department.
The Government has rolled out an overhaul of both temporary and
permanent migration programs in the past year.
Mr Granger said processing times in major visa streams including the
temporary skill shortage (formerly code 457), employer-nominated
scheme and skilled independent visas had all grown in recent years.
A Department of Home Affairs spokesperson said processing times were
driven by a range of factors including:
• the volume of applications received,
• completeness of the application,
• how promptly applicants respond to any requests from the
department, and
• the complexity of assessments in relation to health,
character and national security requirements.
`The department monitors feedback, trends, and fluctuating processing
times each month to identify issues in specific caseloads,
opportunities for continuous business process improvement and client
service efficiencies,` they told the ABC.
The mystery 37,000
The boom in bridging visas has been driven by a mysterious component
of 37,000 visa holders for whom the Department of Home Affairs will
not reveal their nationality.
The Department of Home Affairs declined to provide more explanation
about this group.
Mr Granger said the program changes and lack of resources meant there
were growing numbers of visa refusals that ended up at the
Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
`This results in a significant rise of unwarranted refusals, and
transfers time delays and costs over to the Appeals Tribunal,` he
said.
`The Appeals Tribunal is wasting resources on expensive tribunal
members deciding on simple visa matters.`
The average processing time at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal
for temporary work visas is 381 days over the past six months, up
from 286 for the corresponding period a year ago.
Wayne Parcell, immigration partner at EY, said it was impossible to
determine the `root cause` of the increase in bridging visas without
more information.
`A surge in application rates in different visa categories, and
looking at visa refusal numbers in different categories, can just as
much be a reason for the increase as an increase in processing times
across a range of visa categories,` he said.
Mr Parcell said many of his clients already on bridging visas were
forced to request separate bridging visas if they needed to travel â€`
for example for business or family visits â€` creating additional
administrative load on the department.
`A reduction in the number of bridging visas is possible if a
multiple entry travel facility was granted to all applicants who are
legitimately awaiting a visa decision in Australia,` he said.
`This would decrease administrative effort for the Department of Home
Affairs and improve the service experience for clients.`