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Australia agrees to fast-track urgent Visas

Published : Friday, 25 September, 2026 at 8:44 PM

Observer Online Report

Collected Photo

Australia has agreed to fast-track visa applications for foreign workers urgently needed in the agriculture sector, as labour shortages threaten to disrupt the upcoming harvest season.

The decision comes as Australia prepares to harvest wheat, barley and canola in the coming weeks. Many farms rely on temporary foreign workers to bring in the crops.

Grain Producers Australia (GPA) said on Thursday (September 24) that agricultural organisations would be allowed to submit applications for urgent workers for priority processing.

The move follows the government’s policy to significantly reduce annual migration, which has contributed to labour shortages in the farming sector.

GPA Chairman Matthew Madden welcomed the decision but said it remained unclear how effectively the new system would work, how many visas could be fast-tracked and whether it would guarantee quicker approvals.

Under the new arrangement, visa applications will have a three-month processing timeframe, while opportunities to extend visas have also been limited.

Agricultural groups said applications for the widely used Working Holiday Maker visas have already taken anywhere from several days to several months to process, raising concerns ahead of the harvest season.

-AH

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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury

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