‘Sean’ believes gaining permanent residency in Australia will lead to a better and safer life for his partner and three children. (ABC News: Belinda Kora)

When Sean applied for Australia’s new special visa granting permanent residency to Pacific Islanders, it was a chance for a better life for his family.

He hoped the Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV), which opened for applications for the first time last year, would give his three daughters a fresh start after their younger sister died.

“It was like a new beginning for us,” he said.

But the application process has left the Port Moresby resident feeling dejected, anxious, and let down.

“For my partner and myself, it’s very, very, very stressful,” Sean, who is using a pseudonym to avoid jeopardising his chances of receiving a visa, said.

The Australian government launched the PEV last year saying it would “strengthen” the nation’s links with the Pacific.

“I want a better life for me and my family abroad,” the Papua New Guinean said.

But joy quickly turned to frustration.

“We are scared,” she said.

“I have invested everything in it, I have taken my working hours off to attend some of the requirements of this visa process, even to apply to tailor my CV, I have put a lot into it.”

Support Service ‘unsatisfactory’

Sally said the PEV Support Service administering the scheme had misplaced her CV and other documents.

“We have to resend everything and then they don’t respond,” she said.

“According to what I’ve experienced, they’re not doing much, they’re not responding, and they are not helping us.”

Natasha Turia, an Australian National University scholar monitoring the PEV, said applicants had reported their experience of the support service had been “unsatisfactory”.

“Time is ticking, and we have not been able to get good feedback from [the Department of Home Affairs] or even the PEV [Support Service],” she said.

“We’ve got two extremes, of pure excitement and then devastation if applicants don’t get a visa to come and work in Australia, at the same time.”

After Sean was able to make contact with the support service — which is responsible for helping connect visa applicants to job opportunities — it only sent him openings in cleaning and general labouring, which had no relation to his experience and skills.

Victoria-based consultancy Icon Agency, which won the $9 million contract to market the PEV scheme in the Pacific and connect applicants with Australian employers, referred questions to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The department, responsible for PEV-related services in Pacific Island countries, did not respond to the ABC’s questions.

Sally would like the Australian government to review the PEV Support Service, run by Icon.

Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy said he did not want to put a “hard and fast timeline” on visa approval times, but that the support service would help with applications.

“In all countries it is my understanding that there is a level of in-country support services, it might be virtual, but it is there,” Mr Conroy said.

He urged people having difficulties with their application to contact the PEV Support Service as well as the Australian government representative in their country.

“We’ve got support services in-country also helping with identifying job opportunities,” he said.

But successful applicants said they have had little to no communication from Icon.

“It was really difficult trying to deal with them and find jobs,” Sean said.

Costly waiting game

It has cost Sean 14,000 Kina ($5,500) to gather and provide the documents required for his visa application — a huge amount in a country where the minimum wage is 3.50 Kina per hour.

Ms Turia also said there was not enough awareness about the visa among Australian employers, making it harder for applicants to secure jobs.

“One person has lost three job offers already, just waiting for a visa decision,” she said.

Sally, an accountant with more than a decade of experience, has been unable to secure a job.

“At the moment I am just hoping now, praying and hoping. That’s all I can do with applying,” she said.

“We are scared that our effort, energy, time, and money we have put into this program, might all be wasted if we don’t secure a job.”

Government says scheme will need ‘refinements’

By the end of January, the federal government had granted about 100 Pacific Engagement Visas out of 3,000 available this round.

Mr Conroy said it was a “sign of good progress” and that he would “make no apology” for the time it was taking to grant visas — work that required the Department of Home Affairs to assess applications.

“It’s really important that Home Affairs have the space and time to do the work properly, to make sure that every application meets the criteria embedded in the legislation and regulations, that’s important for public confidence in the scheme,” Mr Conroy said.

“But equally, the scheme has to move at adequate speed so that people’s job applications, their job offers, are there when their visa is granted,” he said.

Ms Turia said there would inevitably be lessons to learn for authorities administering a new visa scheme, but she did not expect the PEV would encounter “so many hurdles” so early on.

“I think it’s unacceptable that individuals are experiencing a lot of frustration and mental fatigue just to get over this visa process,” she said.

Mr Conroy said he wanted the visa to be successful and to do so, the “innovative” scheme would need improvement.

“It’s important that this scheme works for every Pacific Islander who’s been accepted into it … this is the first year we’ve tried this, so there’s always going to be some challenges and refinements needed,” he said.

While Mr Conroy urged people to “reach out” and “keep talking” to the PEV Support Service and Australian government representatives in the Pacific, Ms Turia said this message was not addressing the problem.

“It’s very toxic for [applicants], they want to raise their concerns, but fear jeopardising their visa application just for calling them out,” she said.