Student Visa Work Limitation Lifted for International Student to Assist Economic Recovery
The 2021-2022 Federal budget of Australia was released on 12 May 2021. The newly announced budget by the Federal government has been featured with a substantial amount of government expenditure in the aim of securing Australia’s economic recovery from COVID-19. While the Federal Government announced it has not prepared to reopen the border up until mid-2022 may disappoint many international students hoping for getting back to Australia to commence their new semester on campus, the Federal government has decided to scrap the 40-hour per fortnight work limitation for the student visa holders in designated sectors.
Additional flexibility for student visa holders to work in the tourism and hospitality sectors
According to the Budget Paper No. 2 2021-22. the Australian government is providing more flexibility for student visa holders to support tourism and hospitality sectors to recover. Specifically, work limitation conditions placed on student visa holders will be lifted to allow them to work more than 40 hours per fortnight if they are employed in the tourism or hospitality sector.
Up until now, student visa holders have been allowed to work without limitation in sectors including agriculture, health, aged care, tourism, and hospitality. This has been great news for international students who are currently unable to return home and/or are experiencing financial stress in Australia. According to the statistics, there are around 300,000 students in Australia who are actively participating in the Australian labour force while they are studying. By allowing them to work in the sectors which are critical to the Australian economic recovery will no doubt help revive those industries which have been hit hard from COVID-19.
More importantly, the lifting of work conditions imposed on student visa holders is expected to help them relieve some degree of financial difficulties. A Survey by Union NSW completed last year revealed many international students were struggling to make ends meet and were forced to take cash-in-hand jobs to stay afloat.
Additional Visa Option for Student Visa Holder to Apply
For those whose student visas are about to expire and are intending to work in Australia temporarily, they can now apply for the Temporary Activity visa (subclass 408) from 90 days prior to their visa expiry. The Temporary Activity visa will enable them to remain and work in Australia for up to 12 additional months.
The new arrangement would provide another opportunity for student visa holders to prolong their stay in Australia laying a future pathway to seek permanent residency in Australia.
How Can Agape Henry Crux Help You
At Agape Henry Crux, our Accredited Specialist Immigration Lawyers and our team of immigration lawyers and migration agents are well trained to handle simple to highly complex matters. You can book one of our lawyers or agents to seek professional advice by calling 02-72002700 or email us to book in a time at info@ahclawyers.com.
We speak fluent English, Korean, Burmese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Indonesian, and Malay. If these aren’t your language, we can also help you arrange an interpreter.
This article/presentation (“publication”) does not deal extensively with important topics or changes in law and is not intended to be relied upon as a substitute for legal or other advice that may be relevant to the reader's specific circumstances. If you find this publication of interest and would like to know more or wish to obtain legal advice relevant to your circumstances please contact our office.