On 20th July 2020, the Australian Government announced various student visa arrangement changes to provide enhanced support and peace of mind to international students. These changes were introduced to help give international students greater confidence in their visa arrangements so that they can make plans to study in Australia when it is safe to do so. For your information, the changes are as follows:
- The Australian Government will resume granting student visas lodged outside the country in all locations. So, when borders reopen, international students will be able to make arrangements to travel because they will already have their visas.
- Eligibility requirements for post-study work visa Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) are to be relaxed for all applicants who have been impacted by COVID-19 and any associated travel restrictions and who are enrolled with an Australian education provider. What this means is that:
- New and existing student visa holders studying online out with Australia due to COVID-19 can count this towards the Australian Study Requirement.
- All eligible graduates who have been adversely affected by travel restrictions can apply for and be granted a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) outside Australia.
- Extra time will be granted for applicants to provide their English language results if COVID-19 has interrupted their access to these services. Extra time will also be given to undertake health checks and biometric collection should COVID-19 have disrupted access to these services.
For up-to-the-minute news and updates to Australia’s border and immigration arrangements during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak, visit the Department of Home Affairs website: https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/student-visa
