Australia plans visa changes for limiting the impact of COVID-19 on international students

As reported by the Special Broadcasting Service [SBS] – Australia’s most diverse broadcaster – the Department of Home Affairs has stated that the Australian government is working closely with universities for safeguarding the interest of international students. This includes international students currently in Australia as well as those stranded offshore and unable to come to Australia due to travel restrictions in view of COVID-19.

As per the SBS, the federal government of Australia is expected to soon announce changes to its Australia post-study work visa program as a way of retaining international students that might be granted work rights after graduating, even if they had completed their degrees online and remained in their home countries.

These proposed Australia visa changes in view of COVID-19 are an endeavour by the Australian Government to ensure that Australia retains its place among the most preferred international study destinations worldwide.

According to the SBS, a spokesperson of Australia’s Department of Home Affairs has stated, “We are guided by the principle that students should not be disadvantaged by the impacts of COVID-19”.

Australian post-study work visa – Temporary Graduate visa [subclass 485] – allows international students that have completed their 2 years of study in Australia to stay on in the country temporarily for another 18 months to 4 years, as per their individual situation. A subclass 485 visa holder can live, study, and work in Australia.

Subclass 485 is much sought-after among international students that complete their graduate or post-graduate studies in Australia. With a subclass 485 visa, an international student can extend their stay in Australia for the purposes of gaining local work experience. They can also stay back and work towards their Australian permanent residence through the pathways available to international students.

As of now, a stipulation for establishing eligibility for the subclass 485 visa is that of successfully meeting the Cerință de studiu australian which includes that the international student “must have completed your study in Australia, in a total of no less than 16 calendar months, while you held a visa authorising you to study.” This implies being physically present in Australia for a minimum of 16 calendar months for the completion of their study course.

With degrees being completed online and many students stranded offshore due to the coronavirus pandemic, their eligibility for subclass 485 stands to be adversely impacted, unless visa changes are announced to combat the same.

Proposed changes include international students being granted work rights after the completion of their courses even if they had been forced to study online or stuck overseas due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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