TRANSCRIPT
Akash moved from India to Australia in 2020.
He's been working as a manager in the retail industry on the Gold Coast.
Like many, he came on a 494 or 491 visa, which classifies them as provisional residents instead of temporary residents.
They are sponsored either by family or the government to live and work in a regional area for at least three years, with a promise of Permanent Residency - a 191 visa at the end of it all.
But the Department of Home Affairs is seemingly struggling to approve Permanent Residency fast enough for these people.
Advocates have information from the Department, dated from December 2024, that says there are nearly 11,000 such applications on hand, but fewer than 300 Permanent Residency visas being processed per month.
Akash says he feels like he's being treated unfairly.
"We don't mind staying in regional areas. But we just ask for fairness - the promises they have given to us. Because, initially, just in the last year, I saw many of the applicants they used to get it granted in four months. Now, they get it in nine months and eight months. Now, it is predicted to take at least 14 months to clear the backlog."
Akash has a brother and sister who are also in Australia, and they both have Permanent Residency.
He says the Department is not being consistent.
"I can see online the system here at the Department of Home Affairs, it's not reliable as it's supposed to be. The calculations they normally use on the website, it's absolutely a joke or something. The reason why - it keeps changing."
Advocates say the backlog is causing prolonged uncertainty for the people concerned, causing significant mental stress.
Prasoon Kottayodan is a chef who worked in Dubai and Singapore prior to moving to Australia.
He also has family in Australia, and his daughter is studying here.
He says people caught up in this backlog are ripe for exploitation, as they have to stay with the same employer and occupation until they get their Permanent Residency visa.
"I actually faced a lot of exploitation. I actually resigned from my job. I already applied for residency. Nobody is getting for me sponsorship after I applied for residency."
Mr Kottayodan says he's filling skills shortages.
"I am working in hospitality as a chef, actually, in the Geelong area, in Victoria. Actually, chefs in the regions, there's a real shortage. I already fulfilled the three years condition."
Matthew Nicklin regards himself as facing the same conundrum as Akash and Mr Kottayodan.
He moved to Australia from the United Kingdom in September of 2022.
He's a high school teacher in Townsville, and his wife is a nurse.
They have one child, with another on the way.
He says people like him are not contributing to things like housing shortages that some like to blame recent migrants for.
He says it's the government, with this visa backlog, that is stopping him from further contributing to Australia.
"We've had to move house four times while renting. And, you know, I get that. That's fine. That's being a renter. But, why not give us permission to build a home, so we can help alleviate the housing shortage here? It'd get us out of occupying a rental."
He says he feels like his life is on hold and has considered giving up and moving back to the UK, which he does not wish to do.
"I feel like our future has been taken away here. As much we as we love Australia, and being part of the community, and contributing, our pathway to permanent residency seems to be shut off, or at least, undefined."
Mr Kottayodan says people like himself have no wish to move to big cities - they just want to be able to continue their lives in regional areas as they have been.
"We have already supported the community for long time, in the regional areas. We are not going to the city or something. We are mostly wanting to settle down in the regional areas, actually. The regional areas have a shortage of skilful people, actually. I don't know why they are completely avoiding us."
In response to all this, these visa-holders have launched a petition to federal parliament, asking for more resources to enable more timely processing of these visas.
It has more than 5,500 signatures so far.
