Key Points
- A backlog in visa approval means a simple procedure that took not more than three months before now takes 18 to 24 months
- 'If you have work experience and good skills then there are many opportunities,' Badar Masood says about life in regional Australia.
- The Department of Home Affairs is currently assessing applications submitted before September 2020.
Badar Masood moved from Pakistan to Australia in 2012 to undertake a master’s degree in commerce and today she works as a rural financial counsellor near Newcastle in the Hunter Valley.
However, she says her move to regional Australia was originally forced upon her.
After completing her post-graduate degree, she completed another master’s in professional accounting.
From 2015 till 2018 she worked as an accountant in Sydney, before she was compelled to move.
Because there was no permanent residency pathway, I had to move out of Sydney in 2018Badar Masood
She applied for a 489 skilled regional worker visa, which required her to live in designated areas of regional Australia
“I first moved to the Orana Region, a place called Bourke, in the outback of Australia. With limited time, as our visa was about to expire, and no other option left we had to take this initiative.”
In Bourke, she lived with two other Pakistani women in similar circumstances.
But they soon realised some of the challenges of living in regional areas.
About a year ago she applied for an 887 visa designed for people who have lived and worked in regional Australia on a previous visa, but she says she is still waiting to hear anything.
According to a report from the Migrant Workers Centre published last month, the current visa backlog for regional areas is up to 25 months.
The report found that, “Australia’s immigration policy is not designed to facilitate bringing in skills that are beneficial to the country in the long run”.
Updated as of 1 June 2022, the Department of Home Affairs website said it is currently assessing applications submitted before September 2020.
The Visa Subclass 887 is for Australian permanent residency, which allows individuals to stay, study and work in Australia and applied for citizenship if eligible, but with this long delay some candidates are losing hope.
The backlog in visa approval means a simple procedure that took not more than three months before now takes 18 to 24 months, Ms Masood said.
Credit: Supplied by Badar masood
Pros and cons of regional living
While today Ms Masood is quite satisfied in Newcastle, adjusting to life in regional Australia was originally quite tough.
Reflecting on her time in Bourke, she said, “The crime rate was very high there. It was not always a friendly area and it was quite challenging for us to live there, especially being females.
I wouldn’t say there was direct racism, but gaining acceptance as an outsider was difficult.Badar Masood
Ms Masood said they chose to leave after their house was broken into, which she described as a “horrifying experience”.
She says her work as a rural financial counsellor is fulfilling.
“If you have work experience and good skills then there are many opportunities,” she added.
That’s a view also held by Syeda Mariam Jawed, Ms Masood’s housemate, who chose her career based on the skilled regional migration pathway to permanent residence.
I think there are many advantages of living in a regional area; one is that the population is not so high, so everyone connects very quickly.Syeda Mariam Jawed
Ms Jawed, who works as an early childhood centre manager, believes people are “more welcoming” in regional areas, and more helpful with day-to-day issues.
The job market is also less competitive in her experience, meaning you are more likely to get a job as per your degree or qualification.
On the downside, grocery options tend to be more restricted, though this can be a “blessing in disguise”.
A gathering of community members Credit: Supplied by Badar Masood
Ms Masood said changes to skilled regional migration has made the pathway more difficult in the last few years for people moving to regional areas for visa purposes.
“Having to switch from a bridging to a valid visa and back again to bridging is tough, and the lack of knowledge about visas from local employers and even government organisations including councils or RDA committees makes things difficult,” she said.
It takes a lot from you and you feel stuck in your lifeBadar Masood
Despite all the challenges, Ms Masood and Ms Jawed are optimistic about their own futures and also encourage other community members to consider regional areas as permanent residency options.
“It’s important that you make the decision now instead of just laying back; regional communities and areas need our support too,” said Ms Masood.
