Some major announcements came through yesterday that affect international students in Australia.
Permission to work for students
As we know, there is a COVID concession currently in place for Student visa holders which allows them to work without limitation. This is going to end on 30 June 2023. However, from 1 July 2023, instead of going back to their standard 40 hours per fortnight, the government announced that the limit will be increased to 48 hours per fortnight. This will allow them to balance their studies whilst helping to assist with Australia’s labour shortage.
It’s important to keep in mind that once the limitation is reintroduced on 1 July 2023, any breaches of this can result in visa cancellation as well as employer sanctions, so now is the time to engage in some forward planning.
A word of caution – these changes have come about by way of a media release, rather than any changes to the legislation that governs visa conditions. If you are going to employ students for 48 hours per week or if you are a student working 48 hours per week, we recommend you keep a copy of the factsheet published by the Department of Education in case you need it in the future. This can be accessed here.
Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa
The other change that was announced is that the subclass 485 visa will be extended for eligible international students with select qualifications in verified skilled shortage areas who have graduated from an Australian higher education provider.
This change will come into effect on 1 July 2023 as well, and will allow eligible graduates an additional two years on their subclass 485 visa. This means that visa durations will increase from:
• two years to four years for select Bachelor degrees
• three years to five years for select Masters degrees
• four years to six years for all Doctoral degrees.
An ‘indicative’ list of occupations and related qualifications were released yesterday and can be accessed here. At present, this applies to those fields that are currently considered to be most in demand in Australia: health, teaching, engineering and agricultural studies. The full list of indicative courses will be published before 1 July 2023 so it is vital that students look at the final list, when published, to confirm if they are eligible for the extended stay.
The skills list will be reviewed regularly and updated in line with Australia’s labour market needs.
Got questions?
If either of these changes may affect you, get in touch to assess your personal circumstances.
*This is general information only, as at the date of publication, and should not be interpreted as legal advice. For an accurate and current assessment of your circumstances and visa options, please contact us to receive this advice.