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Australian Immigration Daily News
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Welcome to the DIBP in Sydney
Walking into the DIBP to visit OMARA in Sydney today was an eerie experience.
The main foyer was dead.
This is Liana Allan. My EA is away on annual leave and I have forgotten my password to access my personal blog, so I am hijacking the MA generic blog to write this article.
With the majority of applications done online now, this is the new look of the DIBP. Staffless. Void of officers. Void of visa applicants.
I remember the days of queues, noisy lines, and crowds of non-citizens, a buzzing waiting area and desks filled with DIBP officers taking in paper applications over the counter, with their managers lurking close by.
Even the escalators as soon as you enter the foyer area are blocked off. They are switched off and 'no entry' signs are placed, rather ironically, across the access point.
Comments
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Friday, 02 September 2016Online = less accountability
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Wednesday, 07 September 2016
They complain about not having enough staff. Surely you need fewer staff with the online system and everyone being referred to the website. We are doing all the data entry and the system generates the acknowledgement letters, receipts and bridging visas. Processing times continue to get longer and longer. I can't think of another 'business' where automation has been introduced and the customer is expected to wait for eons.
DIBP Lee St doesn't want to deal with the general public anymore so so they don't need a city office. The powers that be need to find out where the majority of DIBP staff live and put a new office as far away from the them as possible. I am thinking Bourke! -
Wednesday, 07 September 2016
Melbourne still has a queue but not long. Maybe soon it wont with the advent of student visas online.
We had an interesting situation last week. Applicant flying overseas on Sunday. SC820 Submitted. BVA in place. Applying for BVE over the counter. Told to put the application in the box and wait. Of course it was mid afternoon Friday. When she asked how long she was told rather abruptly "you should have applied days ago earlier" In the past they advised to come in on the last day so you did not waste the time between grant and travel. Visa was granted later in the afternoon though so why couldn't the person attending the queue simply say this instead of panicking a client?
Comment from the client was "This is what customer service is from DIBP? being rude and unhelpful?" -
Wednesday, 07 September 2016
should say BVB not BVE
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Wednesday, 07 September 2016
"People our business" no more!!!
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Thursday, 08 September 2016
What is the purpose of such a big entrance/foyer etc...then?
Please explain! -
Thursday, 08 September 2016
Has anyone visited the OMARA office? What is that like?
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Thursday, 08 September 2016I have visited the new OMARA office. I met with them when I took these photos. The OMARA is fully integrated into the DIBP now and in the same building so it all looks exactly the same as the DIBP. One and the same.
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Thursday, 08 September 2016
I went there yesterday to lodge a paper application. The lady who served me refused to give me any sort of a receipt. When I questioned her further another lady came and said that they no longer issue receipts... Unbelievable
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Wednesday, 16 November 2016
The legislation actually defines how to submit visas (Sch 1). In many cases it only specifies online, mail or courier. When you go to Immigration offices and they accept it it is actually an invalid application:
This is totally wrong I agree but it is law. Anything they receive should come with a receipt but in this case if they issued one it would make the application invalid in many instances -
Monday, 21 November 2016
This closure of offices has to be a great opportunity for more work for migration agents. No longer can the applicant take an application where they can see someone, or be put on a phone that has instant access to an Immigration person to answer their questions (whether the answer was right or wrong was questionable). The only source now is to go online (immigration website is either misleading or limited in information) or wait on the phone for 1-1.5 hours.
That has to be the worst customer service available but is comparable with Centrelink (also Government)
Questions are: Where will it go from here and what is the purpose of doing this certainly not for goodwill or to assist clients genuinely applying and paying their fees for the service
Immigration blog
And yet clients wait for years to get an outcome