Securing Australia's new Pacific Engagement Visa costly, slow and 'stressful', applicants say

Sean applied for Australia's new special visa offering permanent residency to Pacific Islanders, which represents an opportunity for him to improve his family's life. He hopes the Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV) will bring a fresh start for his three daughters, following the unfortunate passing of their younger sister. He stated, "It's like a new beginning for us."

However, the application process has left the Port Moresby resident feeling frustrated, anxious, and disappointed. Sean, who used a pseudonym to avoid jeopardizing his chances of obtaining the visa, said, "It's been very, very, very stressful for me and my partner." The Australian government launched the PEV last year, claiming it would "strengthen" the country's ties with the Pacific region.

The PEV will grant permanent residency to citizens from Pacific countries and Timor-Leste through a random ballot, similar to the US "Green Card Lottery." Those selected can then apply for the visa, with a maximum of 3,000 visas available each round. This opens up a significant new immigration pathway from Australia's closest neighbors and has generated considerable interest in the region, with over 56,000 people submitting applications.

However, more than five months after the application deadline, the federal government has allocated less than 5% of the total visas available in this round. While Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy has expressed his "satisfaction" with the program's rollout, applicants have reported that the process of obtaining a visa is both expensive and confusing. They have also reported delays in visa issuance and that job offers required for eligibility are being withdrawn – despite the significant time and money they have spent to secure them.

Pacific Islanders hoping to secure a Pacific Engagement Visa are required to submit medical assessments and character references. But Sean says another requirement – a job offer from an Australian employer – is the "most challenging" part. He said, "My spouse and I have submitted over 500 job applications in total." Employers have asked Sean for proof of his right to work in Australia – documents he will receive once he obtains the Pacific Engagement Visa. He decided to "go all in," resigning from his job in Papua New Guinea in order to travel to Australia to find work. While this gamble paid off and he received a job offer in January, he has yet to receive his Pacific Engagement Visa and fears the delays could cost him his new job in Australia. He stated, "No employer will wait three to six months for you."

Other PEV applicants have told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that they feel the visa's rollout has been slow and that communication has been lacking. Sally, who also used a pseudonym to avoid affecting her visa application, said she was excited when she learned she had been randomly selected. The Papua New Guinean said, "I wanted a better life for me and my family overseas." But the joy quickly turned to frustration. She said, "We're scared. I've invested everything in this, I've reduced my hours at work to meet some of the requirements for this visa process, even applying to have my CV tailored, I've invested so much in this."

Sally said the PEV support services, which manage the program, misplaced her resume and other documents. She said, "We had to resend everything, and then they don't reply. From my experience, they haven't done much, they haven't replied, and they haven't helped us." Natasha Turia, a scholar at the Australian National University who is monitoring the PEV, said applicants have reported that their experience with the support services has been "unsatisfactory." She said, "Time is passing, and we haven't been able to get good feedback from (the Department of Home Affairs) or even the PEV (support services). We're seeing two extremes, one of pure excitement and the other of desperation if applicants don't get a visa to work in Australia."

After Sean was able to make contact with the support services – which are responsible for helping visa applicants connect with job opportunities – it only sent him job openings for cleaning and general labor, positions that had nothing to do with his experience and skills. Icon Agency, a Victoria-based consulting firm, won a $9 million contract to promote the PEV program in the Pacific and connect applicants with Australian employers, referred questions to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The department, which is responsible for PEV-related services for Pacific Island countries, did not respond to questions from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Sally hopes the Australian government will review the PEV support services run by Icon. Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy said he did not want to set a "hard timeline" for visa approvals, but that support services would provide assistance with applications. Mr. Conroy said, "My understanding is that there is a layer of domestic support services in all countries, it may be virtual, but it is there." He urged people experiencing difficulties with the application process to contact the PEV support services and the Australian government's representatives in their country. He said, "We also have domestic support services to help find job opportunities." But successful applicants have said they have had little to no communication with Icon.

Sean said, "It's really hard to try and deal with them and find a job." In order to gather and provide the documents required for the visa application, Sean spent 14,000 kina ($5,500) – a considerable sum in a country where the minimum wage is 3.50 kina per hour. Ms. Turia also said that Australian employers do not have enough knowledge of the visa, which makes it harder for applicants to secure jobs. She said, "There has already been one person who has lost three job offers just because of waiting for a visa decision." Sally, an accountant with more than a decade of experience, has been unable to find work. She said, "At the moment I'm just hoping, praying, and wishing. That's all I can do in the application. We worry that if we can't get a job, all the effort, energy, time, and money we've put into this project could all be for nothing."

By the end of January, the federal government had approved approximately 100 Pacific Engagement Visas, out of the 3,000 visas available in this round. Mr. Conroy said this was a "good sign of progress," and he would not "apologize" for the time it takes to approve visas – work that requires the Department of Home Affairs to assess applications. Mr. Conroy said, "It is essential, it is really important, that the Department of Home Affairs has the space and time to do this properly, to make sure that every application meets the standards embedded in the law and regulations, that's critical to public confidence in the program. But equally, the program has to move at a sufficient pace so that people's job applications, their job offers, are still valid when their visa is approved."

Ms. Turia said there would inevitably be lessons learned for authorities managing a new visa program, but she did not anticipate the PEV would encounter "so many obstacles" in its early stages. She said, "I don't think it's acceptable that individuals are going through so much frustration and mental fatigue just to complete this visa process." Mr. Conroy said he wanted the visa to succeed, and in order to do so, the "innovative" program needed to be improved. He said, "It's important that this program works for every Pacific Islander who is accepted… This is the first year we've tried it, so there will always be challenges and things to improve."

While Mr. Conroy urged people to "reach out" and "keep talking to" the PEV support services and the Australian government's representatives in the Pacific, Ms. Turia said this message did not address the problem. She said, "It's very detrimental to (applicants) who want to raise their concerns but are worried about jeopardizing their visa application just for pointing out these problems."