# Stuck at the border: Australia's visa backlog traps families > Thousands of would-be migrants face indefinite delays after the government prioritised onshore visa applications to reduce net overseas migration numbers. - Title: Stuck at the border: Australia's visa backlog traps families - Summary: Thousands of would-be migrants face indefinite delays after the government prioritised onshore visa applications to reduce net overseas migration numbers. - Keywords: australia immigration, partner visa, skilled migration visa, net overseas migration, tony burke, visa processing delays, family separation, the Guardian - Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/nov/07/migrants-waiting-to-start-life-in-australia-visa-rules-immigration-ntwnfb - Published: 2026-11-06T14:00:46+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: australia immigration, partner visa, skilled migration visa, net overseas migration, tony burke, visa processing delays, family separation, news, politics ## Australia tightens visa processing In July, home affairs minister Tony Burke directed his department to prioritise visa applications lodged from within Australia over those from overseas. This helps reduce net overseas migration numbers in the short term. ## The consequence: thousands stuck waiting The policy change has left many hopeful would-be migrants stuck on the wrong side of the border, their lives kept on hold while they wait for visa decisions. ## Tebin and Sara: separated newlyweds Tebin, twenty-eight, met Sara, twenty-six, in south India in two thousand twenty-five. They married in August two thousand twenty-six and applied for Sara's partner visa. They have spent just one week together since their wedding. ## Sara's visa stuck in queue Sara's partner visa application is at the back of the queue with the lowest priority. The median processing time for a partner visa lodged overseas was fifteen months in two thousand twenty-five to twenty-six. ## Tebin: 'We didn't try to beat the system' Tebin says if Sara had come as a tourist and applied onshore, she could have stayed on a bridging visa. Instead, they followed the rules and now face punishment for it. > We didn't try to beat the system and now we're being punished. It's rubbing salt in the wound. ## Tebin's legal challenge Tebin is active in a support group for couples stuck in the partner visa queue and they are considering testing the processing delays in court.But the government knows its actions are very hard to challenge. ## Conrad: skilled worker in limbo Queensland firm Elite Refrigeration sponsored experienced mechanic Conrad for a temporary skills in demand visa in March.He was advised the application would be finalised in two to five months.Seven months later, he is still waiting. ## Conrad's family uprooted Conrad and his wife are originally from South Africa.After thirteen years building a successful small business in Scotland, they want to start a new chapter in Australia with their four children, aged two to sixteen. ## Uncertainty affecting the children Conrad says the hardest part is how the uncertainty is affecting the children. They often ask when they are going to Australia to start their new life, but he does not know if it is… > The hardest part is how it's affecting the children. ## Conrad's financial burden Conrad's family is about twenty-three thousand dollars out of pocket for visa charges, English language tests, police checks, medicals, migration advice and skills assessment. Elite Refrigeration has invested another thirteen thousand dollars. ## Natasha and Warren: fifteen months waiting Natasha and her English husband Warren have already waited fifteen months for Warren's partner visa. Their daughter Ruby is an Australian citizen by birth. Natasha applied for Warren's visa in July two thousand twenty-five. ## Natasha's anger at unequal treatment Natasha is angry that offshore applicants like Warren have been pushed to the back of the queue. They pay the same amount as people who apply onshore, so they should get equal treatment. > I'm angry that offshore applicants like Warren have been pushed to the back of the queue. ## Warren's visa costs rising The upfront fee for Warren's partner application was nine thousand three hundred sixty-five dollars. If they had applied after first July two thousand twenty-six, it would have cost eleven thousand seven hundred ten dollars. > That's just nuts! ## Lyndel and Fares: visa finally granted Lyndel from Newcastle married her husband Fares in Lebanon two years ago, and their son was born in September two thousand twenty-five. After almost twenty months, his partner visa has just been granted. ## Lyndel's emotional and financial toll During the visa delays, Lyndel struggled to care for four children while working part-time in admin, unable to use her qualifications as a chartered accountant. She describes feeling like she was drowning emotionally and financially. > I've felt like I was drowning emotionally and financially. ## Family finally reunited This week, while Lyndel and her children were sick with influenza A, news came through that Fares's visa has been granted. Soon, they can be together as a family. ## Key takeaway Australia's push to reduce net overseas migration has left thousands of visa applicants stuck overseas, with processing times extended and families separated indefinitely.