By Karl Konrad

It seems the DIBP just might have that in mind!

Today it was noticed that the DIBP explains there will be a 56 year waiting period for visa processing for Other Family stream applicants. 

Currently the following information is being displayed on the Department's website under Waiting times for Other Family:

"Based on current Planning Levels and the allocation of the majority of the Other Family places to the Carer visa category, it is currently estimated that Remaining Relative and Aged Dependent Relative visa applications that were lodged in 2014 and meet the criteria to be queued are likely to take approximately 56 years to be released for final processing (calculated from 14 August 2014)."

http://www.immi.gov.au/Live/Pages/family/other-family-visa-queue.aspx 

I mean it is bad enough that they abruptly and absurdly put an end to a whole range of family visas now they have decided that the 2014 applicants for remaining relative visas are going to wait over half a century for their visas.  

For example: Jane applied for her Remaining Relative Visa (subclass 835) on 30th of May 2014; the morning it was announced that these visas were being repealed. She spent $3520 on visa application fee for herself and $1760 on her dependent son.

$5280 over a 56 year period comes to $94.29 a year. So its $94.29 a year to live on a Bridging Visa in Australia for two people.

No wonder applicants are beginning to think that they and their relatives will be long gone before their visa sees the light of day.

Not to mention an unfortunate onshore applicant who stays on a Bridging Visa As and applies for Bridging Visa B (BVB) for every time they want to go on a holiday. And the application fee for a BVB is currently $140 which is bound to go up in the next half a century.

Now of course it is possible that the figure is just a typo but knowing this government, it may not be. DIBP did not return our media inquiry today, or possibly after this edition, maybe not for the next 56 years. We thank Peter Bollard for bring this to our attention today.