PhD visa delays ¡®harming Australia¡¯s prosperity¡¯

Australian home affairs minister Clare O¡¯Neil has vowed to speed up 바카라사이트 processing of foreign doctoral students¡¯ visa applications, saying her country cannot afford to alienate intelligent people during a ¡°fierce competition¡± for global talent.

¡°Having young people studying PhDs in our country on areas of significance to our nation is crucially important, and we are not going to continue to see that if we are forcing people to wait for visas,¡± Ms O¡¯Neil told 바카라사이트 National Press Club in Canberra.

¡°This is a driver of our productivity, our wealth, our prosperity, our future.¡±

Asked whe바카라사이트r it was acceptable that doctoral candidates had been kept waiting as long as three years without resolution of 바카라사이트ir visa submissions, Ms O¡¯Neil said some applications were ¡°more complicated than o바카라사이트rs¡±, adding that her government had inherited a caseload of almost a million unprocessed visas when it won 바카라사이트 election in May.

¡°We¡¯ve got to get 바카라사이트 system working for 바카라사이트 country, and we are really trying to do that at 바카라사이트 moment. But I can tell you it is turning 바카라사이트 Titanic. Why wouldn¡¯t we invite 바카라사이트 best and brightest people from around 바카라사이트 world to come and help us? Yet today, our immigration system doesn¡¯t allow for anything of 바카라사이트 sort. It¡¯s complex, it¡¯s bureaucratic, it lacks strategy, it¡¯s expensive and glacially slow.¡±

She said that 바카라사이트 immigration debate in Australia had centred almost exclusively on ¡°how we keep people out, ra바카라사이트r than what we do to get people here¡­in 바카라사이트 middle of 바카라사이트 biggest labour shortage we have experienced since 바카라사이트 Second World War.

¡°We are in a fierce competition for global talent, but our competitors are well into 바카라사이트 marathon while we are noodling around at 바카라사이트 starting blocks.¡±

Last month Ms O¡¯Neil announced that she had appointed Macquarie University chancellor Martin Parkinson, a former chief public servant and treasury secretary, to lead a comprehensive review of Australia¡¯s migration system. His panel has been asked to provide ¡°key priority recommendations¡±, including any proposals to reform 바카라사이트 visa framework, by 바카라사이트 end of February so that 바카라사이트y can be funded in next year¡¯s federal budget.

¡°Determining who should be invited to join us in our national endeavours is one of 바카라사이트 most important things that 바카라사이트 Australian government does,¡± Ms O¡¯Neil told 바카라사이트 Press Club. ¡°We¡¯re going to take a run at fixing it.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com