Australia has reopened its doors to international students after nearly two years of border restrictions. The Australian Government has recently introduced special facilities for student visa holders to facilitate the return of international students.
Australia welcomes students from all over the world and has announced special privileges to make Australia a popular destination for international students.
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important points
- Visas will be refunded to international students arriving in Australia between 19 January and 19 March 2022.
- Students coming to Australia can start working without waiting for their studies to begin.
- Students who study online are also eligible for a graduate visa.
Nasir Nawaz, the official immigration lawyer at The Migration, says the corona epidemic has had a significant impact on the mental and financial health of international students, which in turn has affected their education.
Mr Nawaz explains that the border restrictions meant that students and many temporary visa holders could no longer return when they left Australia, and so most visas expired.
“Everyone who lived in their home country was stuck there,” he says. “Many visas expired and they knew nothing about their future.”
Exemption from visa fees :
Australia opened its borders to fully vaccinated international students in December 2021, exempting them from visa fees for a period of time. Students arriving in Australia between 19 January and 19 March 2022 can reimburse the Australian Government for their visa fees.
These students have until December 31, 2022 to apply for a refund of their visa fee.
Temporary lifting of work restrictions
Mr. Nawaz explains that condition 8105 (right to work) in a student visa means that the holder of this type of visa can not work before starting his / her studies. But now international students are allowed to work more than 40 hours a week without having to wait for their studies to start.
However, this is a temporary measure to address labor shortages and will be reviewed by the federal government in April 2022.
Imran Khan completed his bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery in China. He was unable to come to Australia due to border restrictions and had to postpone his studies until March 2022. He was recently able to come to Australia to pursue a master’s degree in public health.
Mr Khan praised the easing of labor laws for new students in the country, calling it a “big step” by the government.
Online education and graduate visa
Nasser Nawaz says that before the Corona epidemic, face-to-face training was required to obtain a 485 Grade Postgraduate Visa, but now students trained online from outside Australia are also eligible for the visa.
“It is now possible to consider online and on-campus education in order to obtain a graduate visa and qualify for a graduate visa,” he said. “So this is a new normal.”
Universities have to offer discounts
Mr. Nawaz says that while the federal government has made it easier for students to enter Australia, universities should also reduce their tuition fees to encourage them. According to him, for example, online education should have a relatively lower fee.
Muzmal Rezvan Khan of the Step Up Profession Organization also believes that lower university tuition fees could encourage international students to choose Australia over other developed countries.
All travelers arriving in Australia must comply with the requirements of the state or territory of their destination and of any other state or territory of which they intend to travel.
Visit the Australian Home Office website for more information.
