RIYADH: The Australian government has announced it has reduced the processing time for Australian visas with an aim to ensure that a Saudi applicant gets his or her visit visa within two days. Previously, an Australian visa application submitted by a Saudi national or a resident could take weeks to process.

“This is a good development that the Australian visa turn-around time has been reduced,” said Roy Clogstoun, deputy chief of mission at the Australian Embassy.

“The announcement to reduce the processing time is a welcome move,” said Arif Rahman, who works for a travel and tourism organization. This will also boost business traffic and passenger loads on flights to Australian destinations, he added.

There are increasing people-to-people contacts between Australia and Saudi Arabia. There are more than 4,000 Australians living and working in Saudi Arabia, while more than 7,000 Saudis are studying at Australian educational institutions. Moreover, Saudis are increasingly choosing to visit Australia as tourists.

“We are thrilled that the Australian government has implemented steps to shorten visa-processing times,” said Andrew Oldfield, a spokesman of Tourism Australia in a statement released here.