The Federal Government has confirmed plans to prioritise 60,000 permanent visa applications lodged by skilled foreign workers in hopes of easing workforce shortages in aged care, education and the broader health sector.

With a current backlog of close to a million visa applications across several categories due to COVID-19 border closures, the Department of Home Affairs will now look to bolster its own workforce to tackle processing delays.

Speaking on ABC Radio yesterday, Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil provided listeners with an insight into the visa gridlock.

“The real priority for me is what we can do within the constraints of the system to quickly work through that backlog,” said Minister O’Neil.

“The change is prioritising people who are offshore who are wanting to come here to work and working through those applications as quickly as we can.

“It’s a drop in the ocean when we are talking about a backlog that is close to a million.”