Backlog of disputed visa cases 'growing'
The Sydney Morning Herald
May 27, 2009
There is a growing backlog of disputed visa decisions awaiting review, a Senate committee has heard.
At the end of April there were 5,887 cases before the Migration Review Tribunal, the body responsible for making final judgments on visa applications.
The number of cases awaiting review has risen 29 per cent since April last year, tribunal member Denis O'Brien told a Senate estimates hearing.
He said a 14 per cent increase in cases lodged in 2009, compared to 2008, had contributed to the backlog.
“We just haven't been able to keep up.”
Immigration Minister Chris Evans said an increasing number of skilled work visa applicants were being rejected in an effort to protect local jobs.
“The tribunal has the flow on effect of that,” Senator Evans told the committee.
