There are weaknesses in ‘almost all aspects of the immigration department’s arrangements for managing visa holders’ compliance with their visa conditions, an independent performance audit has found.

These weaknesses undermine the department’s capacity to effectively manage the risk of visa holders not complying with their visa conditions—from simple overstaying through illegal working to committing serious crimes, notes the report from the Australian National Audit Office.

Over 7.5 million Australian visas were granted in 2014–15. However, while the department of immigration had some idea of how many people overstayed, it did not have ‘comprehensive information about the nature and extent of visa holders’ non-compliance with their visa conditions’, states the report.

It is estimated that about 15,550 people were overstaying their visas by between five and 15 years and 17,370 were overstaying by 15 years or more, out of a total of 61,980 over stayers in 2015. The report noted there were over 27.000 calls to the department of immigration’s Dob-In-Line but almost 30% were abandoned before being answered. The ANAO recommended improvements in the service level standards.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s management of compliance with visa conditions.

The report noted that while over the last decade, the department has introduced a series of restructures and reforms designed to address the weaknesses, there is however, little evidence of overall improvement, not least as a result of the continual change, with initiatives seldom fully implemented or evaluated.

As at July 2015, key aspects of the management of visa compliance examined in this audit were under review by DIBP as part of its integration and reform agenda, and a range of initiatives are intended to address the administrative weaknesses identified in this audit, notes the report.