Australian Federal Government Closure The Pandemic Visa For International Students: The Australian Immigration Minister, Andrew Giles, and the Affairs Minister, Clare O’Neil, announced that the Pandemic visa (subclass 408) for all new international students would be closed from 2 September.
The existing visa holders will remain legal until their visa expires. Also, they can extend this visa for another 6 months at around $405.
But Starting from February 2024, the pandemic visa will be closed for all applicants (existing and new) as it will be completely discarded.
During the Covid 19, this visa was founded in 2020 to help international students trapped in Australia and to fill the labor need due to the international border closures.
Based on the Home affair’s latest figures, more than 17,000 students were given subclass 408 visas in 2022, compared to approximately 3,000 students in 2021.
Mr. Giles said in a statement that the Pandemic visa was an essential part of the visa system in Australia during the Covid 19. Also, during this time, many people on temporary visas helped Australia.
He mentioned that we providing an opportunity for Pandemic Event visa holders to check the another visa option or plan to leave the country.
The Australian government said people not eligible for any other visa option must leave the country.
The statement said that since the circumstances that led to the operation of the [Pandemic Event] visa no longer exist, this will ensure certainty in our visa system.
With the Pandemic event visa scrapping, the Australian government has also reintroduced a cap on the number of hours the international students can work.
Since 1 July, students have been restricted to working only 48 hours per fortnight, eight hours more than the pre-2020 cap. Also, the government has ended employment exemptions for Working Holiday Visa holders.
According to the statement, these measures will reduce Net Overseas Migration, increasing after the pandemic.
Advocates for international students have expressed concern that reinstating the working hour cap will add to the financial burden on a group already struggling with overseas loans and rising living expenses.
The Grattan Institute report released earlier this year found that one in six migrant employees was paid less than the minimum salary.
Economist Brendan Coates said that although international students were helpless to underpay work, the working cap was essential to maintain the visa system’s integrity.
Mr. Coates said the student visa could be perceived as a low-skill work permit without a cap. He proposes changing the fortnightly cap to an annual one, offering more flexibility to students.
So, it is all about the Australian Federal Government closure the Pandemic visa for international students.
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Source:- www.abc.net.au
