In September 2010 we went through the skilled migration route for PR application in my wife’s name.  It finally reached a case officer last week and within 24 hours was rejected.

While I can understand that certain standards have to be met in granting residency, the final analysis and reasoning taken into account in our case is nothing short of abysmal.

At the time of our application my wife’s official standing in the Medical Profession was "Medical Practitioner with Limited, Postgrad/training Registration".

She was going through the process to get the standing of "General Registration", the standing that grants Permanent Residency.

This was granted in December 2010 and the documentation was uploaded to the Immigration site.

Our application was denied, not because my wife didn’t meet the necessary standards.  It was denied because she didn’t meet the standards in September, the time of application.  The fact that she achieved these standards two months later, 6 months before your department got around to our case makes no difference.

We were fully aware of the inefficiencies of your department at the time, knowing that the waiting list would leave us sitting on our hands for 9 months before our case was to be attended too.  We paid $2500 for this privilege.

We have no grounds for appeal.  Despite the fact that we are now at the “Decision Ready” stage, your department are looking at another $2500 to process an application that is as good as signed off.

I recently read your comments around the 140,000 people on the skilled migration waiting list, trying to change people’s impression of why it is so long.  You mention people’s impression that “there is some bureaucratic log for them being accepted.  That’s not the case.”  Surely our case would classify as a prime example of bureaucracy gone mad?  This waiting list is the same one that your department is more than happy to take another $2500 from, to put us back on.

I have to acknowledge that we made an elementary mistake in carrying out our application.  We made an assumption that because it takes a ridiculous amount of time for applications to be made to a case officer, that we would have additional time to meet the requirements.  This is obviously not the case.

Regardless of this, do you not wonder about the barrage of criticism you receive with regards to the department you currently lead?

We read constantly about the skills shortage that is apparent in your country.  We’ve spent an inordinate amount of time filling out forms which carry such vital information as where we holidayed in the last 10 years.   We’ve spent over $1000 undergoing medicals.  Surely if we were carrying diseases into Australia we’d have spread them far and wide having already been here 3 years?  I considered going down the Employer Sponsored scheme.  For that I need to have my skills assessed.  I paid $600 to another shambles of a Government organisation to have my degree, CV and work contract assessed.  6 months later it is yet to have been processed.

I’m pretty sure our case is not unique.  We’re just another family caught up in a bureaucratic mess that you’re in charge of.  It’s a mess that is evident in most areas of Government that I’ve had to deal with.  While I accept that certain rules and regulations need to be put in place for this process, I can honestly say that from my side this appears to be a major money making scam with no sense of fairness, common sense or justification.   I don’t expect anything to change with relation to our case.  I’m just looking to get this off my chest and highlight to you and your staff what low esteem I hold your department in.

Regards

Odhran O’Brien