Families are left in uncertainty as Australia’s queue for parent visas reaches 31 years. Examine the situation, the difficulties with policy, and possible fixes for this expanding problem.

With wait lengths reaching an astounding 31 years, Australia’s parent visa system is experiencing an increasingly dire situation. Many candidates might not survive to see their claims processed as a result of this circumstance. There are two choices available to Australians who want to sponsor a parent for permanent residency: the more expensive contributing parent or elderly parent visa, which costs over $50,000 per person, or the less expensive ordinary parent or aged parent visa, which costs $5,125. The latter, however, requires a much longer processing time.

An annual quota of 8,500 parent visas has been set by the government, of which around 80% are awarded to “contributory” applicants. Even if there are 4,000 more spots available than under the previous government, the severe lack of availability still exists. As a result, the backlog keeps becoming bigger. The Department of Home Affairs had 140,615 parent visa applications on file as of June 30, 2023. This number had increased to 151,596 a year later.

Throughout the previous year, the situation has gotten worse. A contributing parent visa may take up to 12 years to process, according to Home Affairs’ previous estimate, which has since been raised to 14 years. Even more startling is the current 31-year wait period for the less expensive basic visa. Many candidates and their families are left feeling hopeless and confused as a result of this protracted delay.

A team of experts examining the migration system stated, “Giving people the chance to apply for a visa that will probably never come seems both cruel and unnecessary.”

A System That Requires Reform

The administration ordered a review early in its tenure, and the results showed that the migration system was “not fit for purpose.” “Grotesque” visa abuses were revealed in a later investigation written by Christine Nixon, the former commissioner of police in Victoria. Clare O’Neill, a former minister of home affairs, referred to the current system as flawed and unveiled a new migration plan that aimed for thorough reform as opposed to incremental changes.

A lot of work was started, such as reworking the points system to choose permanent skilled migrants and reviewing the laws meant to draw them to Australia’s remote areas. But these initiatives have mostly ignored family migration, especially the problematic parent visa program, in favor of concentrating on skilled migration. The state of affairs keeps getting worse.

Distractions related to politics

Tony Burke, the current minister of home affairs, has been busy handling the political ramifications from court cases, particularly a High Court ruling that would rule that a government policy is illegal. The government’s handling of the November decision declaring indefinite immigration detention to be unlawful has drawn criticism from the opposition. In the event that the court sustains a challenge to the legislation enacted in response, Burke is resolved not to be caught off guard.

Tens of thousands of individuals waiting for parent visas, for example, are only one of the important problems in Australia’s immigration system that have been overshadowed by these legal and political distractions.

Potential Remedies

The adoption of a lottery system akin to that of New Zealand is one suggested remedy. Every year, New Zealand allots 2,000 spots to parents who applied for immigration before to October 2022. After that date, applications are added to a ballot-based pool with 500 slots available. After the backlog is cleared, all parent visas in New Zealand may be awarded through lottery.

Australia might take a similar tack and provide 7,500 visas a year to parents who are waiting in line, awarding 1,000 through poll. But even at this pace, the present backlog would take twenty years to clear. A lottery would still leave tens of thousands of families without a visa, but at least it would eliminate the unfairness of letting those who can afford the $50,000 charge go ahead in line.

2015 saw the introduction of a lottery mechanism by Canada to distribute 20,500 parent visa slots. Still, there are few chances of success; only roughly one out of every seven applicants is granted a visa. Every year, over 100,000 candidates are not selected, which disappoints a lot of families.

Removing permanent parent migration completely is an additional choice. Temporary parent visas, however costly and complicated, still allow for the reunion of families for a three- to five-year initial stay. Grandparents could use this as an opportunity to spend time with their young grandchildren or to help out when needed.

Considering that neither the Coalition nor the Labor Party are willing to expand the program to meet demand, it would be more honest to just abolish permanent parent migration. As parents are seen as a financial drain on the system, using more resources in services than they bring in through employment and taxes, skilled migration continues to be the top priority.

Policy vs Politics

Labor and the Coalition, however, are hesitant to outlaw permanent parent migration because to concern over the reaction of foreign-born voters in vulnerable districts. The parent visa issue stems from this conflict between immigration policy and election strategy.

Burke, as the next minister, has the chance to act decisively to stop the issue from getting worse. He might allow Home Affairs to deal with the backlog of 150,000 applications by placing a moratorium on new applications for permanent parent visas while he reviewed all available options. It is unacceptable to let the line get longer and to give false hope for a visa that might never arrive. Difficult choices will eventually need to be made.

For over a decade, previous ministers have avoided addressing this issue. Now, it’s up to Burke to take action.