Australia’s DHA to outsource visa application services
Anticipating an increased demand for their services, Australia’s Department of Home Affairs (DHA) will outsource aspects of its visa application services to third-party providers.
This decision comes as the agency faces a growing visa backlog, — tipped to soon surpass a million — skill and labor shortages across critical sectors, and the reopening of international borders.
According to the department’s data, they were able to complete an average of 27,000 visa applications a month during 2021. However, in February and March alone, more than 350,000 visa applications were filed to Home Affairs.
This represented a significant jump in requests compared to the previous year.
The DHA said that biometric information — such as fingerprints and facial images — for Australian visa applications will be collected by the private company, while their in-house staff will continue performing sovereign functions including maintaining decision-making over applications.
The changes are expected to begin in March next year. It will replace the paper-based system to align with traveler expectations for “more efficient and digitally-enabled services“.
A DHA spokesperson emphasized that this move will have no impact on their staffing numbers, both in Australia and abroad.
Related news
- PH should look into the sustainability concerns of data centers — JLL · 22 Jul
- Microsoft introduces contact center service · 22 Jul
- BGL Insurance opens 100 hybrid contact center jobs · 22 Jul
Disclosure: Outsource Accelerator uses AI tools in the backend of its editorial workflow. Every article is reviewed and verified by a human editor before publication.
Stay ahead of the outsourcing industry. Join thousands of business leaders who rely on Outsource Accelerator for the news, trends, and expert insights that matter. Subscribe to our free newsletter and never miss an update.
