According to a media report, Australia is planning to abolish the Subclass 408 or Covid work visa, which could force a substantial number of Indian students and temporary workers to look for alternate ways to stay in the nation.
The Temporary Activity Visa, also known as Subclass 408, permitted applicants to work in Australia provided they were employed or had an offer of employment in a crucial area.
Its continued suitability is currently being considered by the government. This includes taking into account a deadline for terminating eligibility for the visa (Subclass 408) and a suggested strategy for getting back to business as usual, according to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), which spoke to SBS, an international broadcaster in Australia.
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The change occurs at the same time as the Australian government's decision to limit foreign students' workweeks to 48 hours starting on July 1.
With the Covid work visa, students could work an unlimited number of hours, but now that the cap has been reinstated, their income will be affected.
International students employed in the aged care industry, however, will not be subject to this cap until December 31.
International students will be among the many who will be impacted by the closure of this visa. Suman Dua, a migration specialist, told SBS that they would be considering a different visa that required payment to stay in Australia. She added that the Covid work visa was free to apply.
The Covid work visa was initially created to help international students studying in Australia who were unable to leave the country due to border closures caused by the Covid virus.
If their visas ran out, it permitted students to stay in the nation for an additional year. As part of the government's efforts to recover the Australian economy that had been adversely affected by the pandemic, the DHA announced in March 2022 that the Covid work visa would be extended.
To solve the ongoing labour crisis, DHA adopted a more lenient policy on visa condition 8107, which pertains to employment restrictions for holders of Subclass 408 visas.
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The DHA informed SBS that holders of pandemic event visas may be able to apply for a variety of permanent or temporary visas to stay in Australia.
If a person's current visa (with work privileges) expires in 90 days or fewer, or if it has already expired at the time of application, they are eligible for a Subclass 408 visa.
The pandemic event visa comes with a two-year length of stay; nevertheless, Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485) visa holders are generally only eligible for visas good for up to 12 months in Australia.
Source: The Economic Times
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