Delivering stability for our regions
Posted on March 21st, 2023
In welcome news, the Australian Government has directed almost 600 additional staff to the processing of the visas including towards 887 Skilled Regional Visa applications.
The Government has halved the backlog of 887 visas – which provide permanent residency to people who have lived and worked in regional Australia – by streamlining and investing $36 million in visa processing.
In the last three months of the former Liberal Government, fewer than four hundred 887 visas were granted, and as at June there were 18,000 visas to be processed.
In February, the Government processed the largest number of 887 visas ever granted in a single month – possible because of an additional 582 staff working on visa processing right now.
In order to address acute workforce shortages in our regions, the Government has also tripled the number of regional skilled visas available to 34,000 for this year.
The Government is also working to reduce the overall visa backlog, processing almost 5.5 million visa applications since coming to Government, helping to deliver economic stability for our regions.
