Migration Centre of Australia

Temporary visa holders Australia

  • August 27, 2020

Waivers for International Students in Australia

As Australia moves towards recovery, Australia remains a high quality and welcoming destination for international students. Recently, the Government has announced a range of visa measures to support students. Some of these measures have included legislative changes and need to be checked regularly. However, today we will summarize the current updates relevant to you: Student visa fee Currently, the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA) will waive the visa application fee to allow you to lodge a further student visa application to complete your study. This will be available to students who held a student visa on or after 1 February 2020 and who couldn’t complete their course within their original visa validity due to the impacts of COVID-19. This includes students who: deferred their study as they were unable to enter Australia due to travel restrictions were forced to reduce to a part-time study load were unable to complete their work-based training and/or placements. Please note, that this measure is not intended for students who are applying for a new student visa due to ordinary reasons (including if you have failed a course or a unit of study, deferred for personal reasons or voluntarily reduced your study load.) To be eligible to have your application for a fee waiver considered, you must apply for a Student visa and attach a completed Form 1545 COVID-19 Impacted Student (PDF – 228 KB) from your education provider with a valid Student visa application. The good part is, you can apply for this online and you can be onshore or offshore when you make the application. This waiver only applies to the visa application fee. Another important factor to note is that this only works for new applications for the fee to be waived. Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485) visa eligibility The DOHA has also changed the requirements for a Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa for those who have been impacted by COVID-19. These changes include: Currently, online study undertaken outside Australia as a result of COVID-19 travel restrictions will count towards the Australian Study Requirement for existing and new student visa holders A future change that will be implemented is that graduates affected by COVID-19 travel restrictions will be able to apply for and be granted a Temporary Graduate visa outside Australia (where they have met all the requirements). Current Student visa conditions The DOHA has since taken a flexible approach where COVID‑19 restrictions have prevented student visa conditions being met. Now all student visa holders will not be deemed to be in breach of their student visa conditions if you: have an approved course deferral are studying online. Moreover, you are also temporarily allowed to work more than 40 hours per fortnight if you are: employed in the health sector, enrolled in a health related course (such as nursing or medicine) and are directed by a health official to assist in the effort against COVID‑19 employed in aged care by an Approved Provider or Commonwealth-funded aged care service provider employed by a registered National Disability Insurance Scheme provider. Our Registered Migration Agents at Migration Centre of Australia have been in the migration industry for many years and have helped thousands of clients onshore and offshore. We are trained professionals in Australian Migration Law and we are trusted providers in the industry for our services. If you want to apply for a student visa, or you are a current visa holder and you wish to have the student visa fee waived, or if you simply want to know more about the current student visa conditions in place during this pandemic, contact us today on (02) 4626 1002 or send us an email at info@migrationcentreofaustralia.com.au and one of my registered migration agents will be ready to help you.
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  • August 20, 2020

Travel Exemption for Critical Sectors

Currently, Australia is maintaining its strict border measures to protect the health of the Australian community. There are limited to none flights currently available to and from Australia, however the Australian Government has since recognised allowing a travel exemption for those who work in critical sectors and who possess critical skills. The Commissioner of the Australian Border Force may grant an individual exemption if you are a non-citizen: traveling at the invitation of the Australian Government or a state or territory government authority for the purpose of assisting in the COVID-19 response providing critical or specialist medical services, including air ambulance, medical evacuations and delivering critical medical supplies with critical skills required to maintain the supply of essential goods and services (such as in medical technology, critical infrastructure, telecommunications, engineering and mining, supply chain logistics, agricultural technology, food production, and the maritime industry) delivering services in sectors critical to Australia’s economic recovery (such as financial technology, large scale manufacturing, film and television production and emerging technology), where no Australian worker is available whose entry would otherwise be in Australia’s national interest, supported by the Australian Government or a state or territory government authority. An individual can submit a request for a travel exemption under this category or a business can submit a request on their behalf. The applications of multiple travelers within the same group/business can be linked, so that the requests are considered together. If you want to apply for this exemption, it should be done in at least two weeks, but not more than three months, before planned travel. All urgent business travel will be considered inside this time frame. The request must include: traveler details: name, DOB, visa type and number, passport number, proposed residential address and phone number in Australia reasons for travel: why your request should be considered for Commissioner discretion/exemption supporting statement: setting out how you meet one of the critical skills/critical sector grounds for exemption accompanying evidence: the request should be accompanied by supporting evidence, such as a letter from a business involved in the provision of critical goods and services, Australian Government or state and territory government authority advising why your travel is critical at this time And, most importantly all Individuals must hold a valid visa and an exemption from the Commissioner before they travel. All travellers arriving in Australia, including Australian citizens, are subject to mandatory quarantine for 14 days at a designated facility, such as a hotel, in their port of arrival.​ Our Registered Migration Agents at Migration Centre of Australia have been in the migration industry for many years and have helped thousands of clients onshore and offshore. We are trained professionals in Australian Migration Law and we are trusted providers in the industry for our services. If you want to apply for a travel exemption for yourself or your business, or you want to know more about the current travel exemption for critical sectors, contact us today on (02) 4626 1002 or send us an email at info@migrationcentreofaustralia.com.au and one of my registered migration agents will be ready to help you.
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  • July 30, 2020

Suspension of General Skilled Migration Applications in Australia

According to SBS News Australia, States and territories across the country have temporarily suspended the nomination program for the General Skilled Migration Program (GSM) while they await the federal government’s allocation of state nomination places for the program year 2020-21. The General Skilled Migration Program (GSM) is aimed at overseas skilled workers who have the skills needed to fulfill occupations in Australia that is otherwise not fillable by an Australian citizen. Each year, every state receive quotas from the government, based on which states and territories nominate skilled and business migrants for Skilled Nom­inated Subclass 190 and the Skilled Regional Sponsored Subclass 491 visa categories. SBS News Australia reports that this year the Department of Home Affairs has advised the states and territories to put their programs on hold until further notice. The Department further stated that the ongoing impacts of the pandemic worldwide, both medically, socially and economically, will have a “significant influence on the shape of Australia’s Migration Program going forward”. Victoria: State nomination program remains temporarily closed. But applicants can still lodge an EOI through the Department of Home Affairs SkillSelect system. New South Wales: NSW is currently closed to applications for nomination under the Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) and the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491). The state will open to new nominations once they receive their quota for the current financial year. South Australia: The state’s business and skilled migration programs are scheduled to re-open from early August. Queensland: Business and Skilled Migration Queensland (BSMQ) has also announced that its state nomination program will remain closed until further notice. The state has declared that it will not be accepting any EOIs. The state is now awaiting advice from the Department of Home Affairs with regards to its nomination allocation for the financial year 2020-21. Tasmania: Applications remain open and will continue to be considered, but no nominations can be made until the state receives its allocation for the program year. Northern Territory: NT Government has also declared that it is currently unable to issue nominations under the skilled and business migration programs. Western Australia & the Australian Capital Territory: No update is available for Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. What is important to take away from this change is to know that skilled migration is integral to Australia’s migration program and economic growth, so rest assured that it will not be suspended forever! Our Registered Migration Agents at Migration Centre of Australia have been in the migration industry for many years and have helped thousands of clients onshore and offshore. We are trained professionals in Australian Migration Law and we are trusted providers in the industry for our services. If you want to know more about general skilled migration, the skilled nominated subclass 190, skilled regional sponsored subclass 491, or working in Australia in general, contact us today on (02) 4626 1002 or send us an email at info@migrationcentreofaustralia.com.au and one of my registered migration agents will be ready to help you.
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Overseas Migration May See a Record Drop of 85%

Just recently, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison estimated a 30% drop according to the 2018-2019 figures in the current financial year. However, as a result of the current pandemic, the Prime Minister forecasts this to drop even further to 85% which is expected for the 2020-2021 financial year. These percentages and figures are crucial for the Australian economy and these significant drops could lead to the impact of the coronavirus and its potential to continue into 2021. “That is a significant change,” Mr Morrison said. However, he goes on to say, “It is not expected to be a long term change in terms of net overseas migration.” These numbers are overly important to the economic growth and development of Australia in the future. Currently, the Prime Minister and his ministry are discussing these pressing issues, but it is also vitally important to recognize the work and contribution of our migrant and overseas visa holders who live and work in Australia, contributing to our Australian economy. Did you know that in 2019, Australia’s population grew by 239,600 just from net overseas migration, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data? This net overseas migration number measures how many people enter Australia and how many stay for more than 12 months compared to how many people leave the country for the same period. Moreover, Australia’s international education market brings approximately $39 billion per year into the economy, making it our fourth-largest industry. Associate Professor Boucher said migration was a key economic driver for a number of reasons. “Those migrants work, they pay tax, most of them are not a drain on the welfare or health system. They are net contributors, not net takers, unlike Australians,” she said “Because temporary migration comprises the vast bulk of migration into Australia … closing all that migration off is going to have a massive effect.” What does Migration Centre of Australia think? Right now, Australia already has a vast wealth of former international students who have Expression of Interest’s (EOI) already on the system. There are also more than 100,000 temporary visa holders who work, live and contribute to the Australian economy. We hope the Government will do more to help our valuable temporary visa holders and migrants during this crisis. Our Registered Migration Agents at Migration Centre of Australia have been in the migration industry for many years and have helped thousands of clients onshore and offshore. We are trained professionals in Australian Migration Law and we are trusted providers in the industry for our services. If you wish to apply for any type of visa during this time, or you want to know more about your visa options, or you simply require professional migration advice regarding your visa status, don’t let this pandemic delay you any longer. Contact us today on (02) 4626 1002. Alternatively, you can send us an email at info@migrationcentreofaustralia.com.au and we will be ready to assist you.
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Migration Centre of Australia (MCA) Your trusted partner for Australian immigration. We simplify visas, skilled migration, sponsorships, and more—so you can focus on your future.

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