Many Vietnamese students have had their visas delayed, what did the Australian Ambassador say?

Recently, many Vietnamese students who want to study in Australia have expressed concern about being “stuck” because they have not been granted or approved a visa to go to this country, despite having contacted the authorities.

Many people wonder where this delay comes from.

Many people are even more nervous because they have booked their flights, and even worry about whether their visas will be issued in time for their admission deadline.

Regarding this, Australian Ambassador Andrew Goledzinowski said that education is a fundamental pillar of the bilateral relationship between Australia and Vietnam. And in more than 50 years of establishing relations between the two countries, many Vietnamese people have come to study in Australia, currently there are about 100,000 alumni, including about 7,000 people who have received Australia Awards scholarships.

Mr. Andrew Goledzinowski said that since 2001, more than 3.5 million international students have lived and studied in Australia.

The ambassador said that like many countries around the world, Australia is feeling the pinch from the Covid-19 pandemic. The cost of living has risen – including housing, consumer goods, fuel and essential services. So Australia needs to look at how it manages its visa system.

“We are focusing on the integrity of our visa system, including making a number of changes to the student visa program, designed to ensure genuine students continue to have access to Australia’s world-class education institutions.

“As a result, student visas are taking longer to process. Applications from low-risk providers (including Australia’s top universities) will be processed the fastest; but they will still take longer than before. Our visa decision makers may need more time as they monitor the process more closely,” said Andrew Goledzinowski.

As always, visa processing times will depend on the quality and completeness of the application, as well as the applicant’s ability to respond to requests for further information, according to the Australian Ambassador. “We also require documents to be translated into English before being submitted with the application. Therefore, it is important to submit a complete application to get a faster outcome. We advise all applicants to double check that they only submit one application,” said Mr. Andrew Goledzinowski.

The Australian Ambassador said information on global visa processing times is available at: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-processing-times/global-visa-processing-times.

“We understand that choosing where to study abroad is one of the biggest decisions in a young person’s life, and for the families supporting them. At the moment, processing times may be longer than usual. I hope that this is a ‘small price to pay’ to ensure a high-integrity system that will benefit Vietnamese students for many years to come,” said Andrew Goledzinowski.