Backlog of priority applications concerning

Thousands of skilled migrants living in Australia want to know why their valid applications for permanent residency have not been touched for several years.Those people at the very bottom of the skilled migration queue are classified as “priority five”.

The Migration Institute of Australia’s National President Angela Chan said the institute was concerned by the backlog of priority five applications.

“People’s applications are not being processed and they have to wait for inordinate lengths of time, up to eight years,” Ms Chan said.

“People need to know what their future is going to be.”

The Federal Government has said the Immigration Department is dealing with a large backlog of cases. They have spent thousands of dollars on their applications, which appear to be on hold indefinitely.

One of those applicants is Sydney man Syed Sakib, who desperately wants to be a permanent resident in Australia. Mr Sakib, 30, applied for a skilled migration visa in 2010 and after five years of waiting, he cannot get an answer on when his application will be processed by the Immigration Department.

“Our situation is we [are] doing everything right, we paid the money, we’re working full-time, we work for the Australian community,” he said.

Mr Sakib moved from Bangladesh in 2007 to study in Wollongong and now works full-time helping refugees to get work placements.