Australia makes Temporary changes to work conditions for Student & Working Holiday Visa

The Australian is providing an incentive for Student and Working Holiday visa holders to return to Australia at earliest to help address present shortages of the workforce. The idea is to help Australia’s COVID-19 recovery efforts. The Department of Home Affairs (DHA), Australia periodically updating the immigration and visa rules in the country after assessing the present pandemic situation in the country.

Find out more details. 

VAC Refund for Student and Working Holiday Visa 

As per the latest announcement from the government, 

• Any Student visa holder who is presently offshore and arrives in Australia between 19 January and 19 March 2022 will be eligible for a refund of their visa application charge (VAC). The current VAC for a Student visa is AUD630. 

• Any Working Holiday Maker visa holder who is presently offshore and arrives in Australia between 19 January and 19 April 2022 will be eligible for a refund of their visa application charge. The current VAC for a Working Holiday visa is AUD495. 

The VAC refund comprises secondary visa holders. The Department of Home Affairs has already revealed the details as to how to apply for a refund. The DHA has supported Australian businesses in the time of global pandemic, by allowing Student visa holders to work extra hours in critical sectors. 

Limit on working hours

Now, in view of the present workforce shortages, the Government is temporarily removing the limit on working hours for Student visa holders across all sectors. This will be applicable to secondary Student visa holders. This change has come in to force immediately and DHA will review it in April 2022.

Moreover, with immediate effect, the DHA is also temporarily relaxing the 6-month work limitation for Working Holiday Maker visa holders. Until the end of this year, i.e. 2022, there will be no limit on the time Working Holiday Makers can work for the same employer..

Note: The above-mentioned changes are temporary and designed to provide instant assistance to Australian businesses presently facing grave workforce shortages. These measures will allow them to continue delivering goods and services to the Australian community.

Presently, there are nearly 150,000 Student and 23,500 Working Holiday Maker visa holders offshore. At now, all arrivals from outside Australia must be fully vaccinated or hold a valid medical exemption.

To get further clarification or to apply for relevant visa in Australia in 2022, you may get in touch with trusted and most experienced Australia Immigration Expert at Visas Avenue on Toll-Free No. 78-18-000-777 or you can drop us an e-mail at info@visasavenue.com.

- Rajneesh Kumar