The Department of Home Affairs is looking to deploy more staff to process the citizenship application backlog which has spiralled to more than 200,000 as of 30th April 2018.
The Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Alan Tudge has said more staff will be assigned to deal with the huge numbers of citizenship applications in next six months.
“Over the next six months we’ll be putting on an extra 150 people to deal with some of the citizenship applications,” he said in an interview to ABC 774.
Minister for Human Services Alan Tudge speaks to the media during a press conference in Melbourne, Thursday, January 25, 2018.
“Massive spike in applications”
When questioned about the delay, he pointed to three reasons which include a massive spike in applications over the last few years, almost a tripling since 2010.
“There has been an almost tripling of the applications – first point.
“Second point is that we did overall increase the identity checks and security checks about 12 months ago.
“And thirdly, we are dealing with that big backlog of the boat arrivals from three or four years ago, which are now coming through for citizenship,” he said.
He rejected the claim that the department was understaffed.
“We’ve had 20 per cent more people in the last three years. We’re about to put on an extra 150 people,” he said.
He also pointed out that 75 per cent of applications are ‘still done within 15 months.’
A spokesperson from the Department of Home Affairs told SBS Hindi, “Increased demand for Australian citizenship has also coincided with an increase in the number of cases that require complex identity assessment.
“In particular, there has been an increase in the number of people applying for citizenship who supply limited or no identity documentation from their country of origin. These applications are generally more complex and require additional time and effort to process.
“Australia is also facing greater national security threats now than in previous years. To ensure the safety of all Australians, the Government has introduced additional measures to strengthen processes for verifying the identities and good character of citizenship applicants.
“The Department of Home Affairs is adding an additional 150 extra staff to the processing of citizenship applications, which reflects the high value placed on Australian citizenship.”
PM Malcolm Turnbull and Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton during Question Time in the House of Representatives at Parliament House AAP
“Citizenship changes back on agenda”
While more than 200,000 applicants are awaiting the outcome of their application, the citizenship changes are back on the government’s agenda.
The Australian Citizenship Legislation Amendment (Strengthening the Requirements for Australian Citizenship and Other Measures) Bill has been proposed for introduction and passage in the spring sittings, according to the list released by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
The legislation makes several changes to citizenship requirements. They include changing the period of permanent residency from one year to four, a modest English language requirement, a new values test, and stronger character checks.
Potential citizens will also need to demonstrate their integration into the community, including by “behaving in a manner consistent with Australian values”.
The amended bill, which makes the wait longer and eligibility tougher for migrants, was struck down after the government missed the deadline in the Senate, thus striking off the bill by default on October 18th, 2017.
Source: https://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/hindi/en/article/2018/08/20/australian-citizenship-more-staff-be-deployed-process-backlog