American tourist who got apartment in Australia can’t get visa: ‘Ready to go’

Australia has welcomed record numbers of migrants in recent years, but one unlucky woman says she has been left stranded outside the country because her working holiday visa was not approved, leaving her in a difficult situation after renting an apartment in Australia.

Travel video blogger Karine, from the US state of Florida, traveled to Australia on a tourist visa, opened bank accounts and secured an apartment with the intention of returning on a work visa. But she says border officials won’t approve it – and she suspects that’s down to an overzealous decision she made on her first vacation.

“I went to Australia last January, got a three-month tourist visa, found an apartment, opened a bank account, got everything organized,” she said in a video this week.

“I was ready to work, I was ready to go.”

But that’s when things took an unexpected turn.

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After returning to the United States in April last year, she “immediately applied” for a work visa, but says her application is still pending, more than a year later.

“I don’t know what’s going on. I hear different things from different people saying that they stopped letting people in because they let too many people in… And now there’s too much going on there,” she said in the clip, which has been viewed more than 125,000 times.

Some Australians have questioned why she put her name on an apartment lease when she was on a tourist visa, suggesting it could have raised suspicions among authorities.

“But I feel like it’s not that uncommon to settle there (and) come back on a working holiday visa,” she said.

Although she’s not sure why she hasn’t been approved for so long, the frequent traveler is “crossing her fingers” that she will be allowed in by November.

Immigration to Australia continues to be a controversial political issue. The Labor government has long argued that more workers are desperately needed, while critics say the pressure on infrastructure and the housing market has become too great.

In response to his video, many Australians claimed the apartment was simply a bad idea.

“You are exactly the kind of person we need here. I admire your proactivity, but yes, this could have been your downfall too,” wrote one TikTok user.

Changes to visa rules

While many workers like Karine come to Australia on working holiday visas before seeking sponsorship and permanent residency, the Australian government is changing some visa regimes and skilled worker classifications.

In response to political pressure over high migration, a major crackdown on international students means that from Monday 1 July, holders of temporary graduate, visitor, maritime crew and other visas will no longer be able to apply for a student visa while in Australia.

The change is aimed at cracking down on “visa hopping”, which the department says has contributed to a growing cohort of former international students “temporarily staying” in Australia.

After a record net overseas immigration of 528,000 in 2022-23, the Treasury forecasts this figure will fall to 395,000 in 2023-24, before falling further to 260,000 in the next financial year.

The permanent migration program will be capped at 185,000 places in 2024-25, with 132,200 places allocated to the skills stream to “help meet Australia’s long-term skills needs”.

A new National Innovation Visa will be created to replace the current Global Talent Visa from the end of this year, aimed at targeting “exceptionally talented migrants who would drive growth in sectors of national importance”.

The Government will also reduce the work experience requirement for the Temporary Skills Shortage Visa, from two to one year, for all applications from the end of this year.

The government has also introduced a new voting process for the work and holiday visa program for China, Vietnam and India from the next financial year, designed to better manage demand for the program.

with NCA Newswire

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