CuriousTeaLady

The growing processing times are very frustrating indeed - it used to take just four months when I first applied for my 461 visa, I'm on my third application now and still waiting For those who haven't applied recently and are about to, in Sydney, despite not being explicit on their website, you can no longer deliver by hand your application form, you have to send it by courier or registered post or it won't be accepted. Supporting documents CAN be accepted at Lee Street in person. It's madness. Only a government department could waste people's time and resources in such a way and not pay the price of going broke, as a commercial concern would. The attitude is 'Don't contact us, don't ask questions, no emails or 'phone calls will be accepted' to check on progress or otherwise of one's application. I was led to believe that the original push out of processing times was to deliberately be off-putting to lots of big Kiwi (Maori) extended families who wanted to come and claim benefits in Australia, they are apparently more lucrative than in N.Z. However, that's no excuse for this utter disregard of peoples circumstances and urgency of clarification for all sorts of financial and social reasons. It's a travesty, it's not justice, it's not right, it's certainly not fair. It is outrageous and incompetent and inefficient and disorganised. But sadly, it is the way it is.