About 1000 work permit applications are still sitting with the Immigration Department.

This backlog has further exacerbated labour mobility concerns of employers who desperately require workers – but end up losing them to other destinations because of Fiji’s immigration processes.

Speaking in Parliament this week, Home Affairs Minister Pio Tikoduadua said they were committed to immigration reform, but they would also consider the safety and national security of the country.

He said outflow of Fijians had created an unprecedented demand for expatriate labour at all levels.

He said this ranged from tertiary educated professional and managerial employees to tradespeople, construction workers and all categories in between.

“We are receiving work permit applications at the rate of 500 to 800 per month.

“I will shortly be issuing a policy direction pursuant to section 4(4) of the Immigration Act 2003, to take immediate steps to address the current backlog on the issue of work permits.

These measures are intended to take effect from May 1, 2024, although some are already in place.

“I recognise that the current backlog of two to four months in the processing of work permit applications – sometimes longer – is threatening economic growth and investor confidence.”

Mr Tikoduadua said this had been highlighted by both the business community and a number of authoritative official sources as Fiji’s most critical short-term economic issue.

“Fiji employers are competing with other destinations for expatriate employees. They complain that after incurring the time and cost of recruitment and documenting employment contracts they lose their nominated employees to other countries because of the wait for their Fiji permits.

“They cannot see things improving so they prefer to shelve their future investment projects or even scale down their current activities until things improve. So, we have taken note of these issues. We recognise that the business and investment community must see that action is being taken now.”

He said he understood the task ahead, and his role in addressing this issue.

“Immigration is always a sensitive area. We must respect our obligations to Fiji citizens, and we must also take into account national security and other border control matters in making immigration decisions.

“However, we recognise the clear economic reward that is available if we can make our processes more efficient. We are seriously focused on those outcomes.”