Australia Australias Visa Tender

On Friday the Home Affairs Department in Australia has announced a tender for visa processing services. The tender put out to the private sector includes an option to extend the process to citizenship applications.The tender calls for a platform to manage visa applications decision-making workflows and attract potential visitors and migrants. However according to the union the move could cost 3000 jobs and is being rushed through before the next election.As per the tender document The Australian government will retain the option to extend the scope of the platform for other long-term visas and ultimately citizenship in the future.Getting the private sector to process visas does not involve privatising Australias visa system or decision making states the tender document. It says Australia needs a visa system that is easier to understand better suited to the rapidly growing number of visitors and flexible enough for Australia to remain a competitive destination for temporary visitors and the longer-term entrants Australia needs.The platform must be flexible and able to quickly and efficiently accommodate policy changes made by governments-of-the-day.Under the deal the Home Affairs Department will continue to be in charge of all visa decision making and national security risk assessments and will receive all visa application revenue. Community and Public Sector Union national secretary Nadine Flood said This is not an open tender as only two shortlisted companies are in line to be handed our visa processing system.With phase one of this process closing in just over two months on February 20 it looks like the government is racing to sell out our visa processing system before voters can have a say on their plan.