Australia to speed up urgent farm work visa applications — ABC News Australia

In Australia, the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has reached an agreement with the federal government to fast-track urgent Working Holiday Maker visa applications for people needed for agricultural work. The mechanism applies to candidates whose timely arrival at a specific farm is critical to its operations, including during crop and fruit harvesting.

Temporary mechanism for farms

As ABC News Australia reports, visa processing began slowing down in August. Following limits on the number of backpackers announced the previous week by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, concerns about labour shortages emerged in regional areas.

NFF chief executive Michael Guerin said the government had agreed to give priority consideration only to the most urgent applications, which the federation would submit in good faith. According to him, some of them could be processed within a few days, although the exact number of applications that will be submitted to the Department of Home Affairs each day is currently unknown.

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Conditions for fast-track processing

The new mechanism is available only to those who have already submitted a Working Holiday Maker visa application. Candidates must be involved in agricultural work at a designated farm, and their work and prompt arrival must be critical to the operation of the business.

State farming organisations and industry associations will help arrange the submission of the most urgent applications. At the same time, participation in the mechanism guarantees neither fast-track processing nor visa approval: all applications remain subject to assessment by Australia’s Department of Home Affairs. Guerin also noted that the agreement does not resolve long-term labour migration issues for regional communities.