COVID-19 Pandemic event (Subclass 408) visa allows a person to stay and continue working in critical sectors in Australia when he/she cannot leave Australia due to travel restrictions in response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and has no other visa option to maintain his/her lawful status in Australia until he/she is able to return to his/her home country. The Department started accepting Covid-19 Pandemic visa applications since 04 April 2020.
According to information released by the Department of Home Affairs, the number of applications lodged and visas granted for this stream of 408 visa, during the period from April 2020 to July 2020, is as follows:
| Month | Applications Lodged | Visas Granted |
| April 2020 | 2,722 | – |
| May 2020 | 4,084 | 728 |
| June 2020 | 3,025 | 1,509 |
| July 2020 | 2,405 | 1,475 |
| Total | 12,236 | 3,712 |
The average processing times for 75% of applications was 27 and 44 calendar days for the months of May 2020 and June 2020, respectively.
In April 2020, the Australian Government had added COVID-19 Pandemic as a new event for the Government Endorsed Event stream under the standard Temporary Activity Visa (Subclass 408) program vide the Migration (LIN 20/122: COVID-19 Pandemic event for Subclass 408 (Temporary Activity) visa and visa application charge for Temporary Activity (Class GG) visa) Instrument 2020. It is important to know that work rights are limited to working in critical sectors only, including agriculture, health care, aged care, disability care and child care.
If you facing issue of visa expiry or need advice on a migration matter, Discuss Your Situation with us or call us on (02) 4626 100 to speak to one of our Registered Migration Agents who can help you.
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