Visa system far from perfect

This is in response to Mark Ogilvie's letter published in The Jakarta Post on May 10, 1999.

Mark Ogilvie is unfortunately experiencing the same problem as many people around the world. Obtaining a visa to Australia has become a difficult and time-consuming task for those trying to enter from countries experiencing, or about to experience, conflict.

The letters of rejection received are standard fare from our embassies around the world. They are particularly frustrating when they state "lack of funds" or some other reason that is clearly wrong.

As agents we are continually faced with the same problems as Mark Ogilvie and his fiancee, only on a larger scale. Mr. Ogilvie does not say when he first applied or how long he has known his fiancee -- but both would have been key factors in his application.

Having been through the migration section of the embassy on a couple of occasions I can attest to the volume of applications waiting to be processed. Even for the largest embassy, assessing thousands of applications a week places a great strain on staff, both local and Australian. A drive past our embassy on any given day will see hundreds of people waiting on visas. I doubt if Superman could process them quicker. Short-term applicants suffer because of the risk of overstay. There are many who try to "jump the queue" by lodging permanent applications onshore rather than in the applicant's country of origin. This is a case of the "sins of the fathers being visited upon the sons". All applications are scrutinized because of the record of previous visitors.

Those wishing to obtain a visa should remember that lack of time and documentation are nearly always the culprits where visas are concerned.

Australia's visa system is far from perfect and, in our point of view, could do with a major procedures overhaul. Having recently been through the process of obtaining visas for Eastern Europe I can say it is something we share in common with many countries.

However, changing procedures is something that is initiated by politicians, not embassy staff. The integrity remark slung by Mr. Ogilvie will be particularly hurtful to embassy staff who, from my observation, work extremely hard and will be prevented from replying (no, I won't be getting any applications processed quicker). While we can certainly identify with Mr. Ogilvie's situation, we should remember that no one wins when we shoot the messenger.

PETER LOUGHTON

Immigration & Visa

Advisory Services

Joondalup, Western Australia