On 20 July the Australian Government announced a number of changes to student visa arrangements to support international students.
The changes are:
- The Government will recommence granting student visas in all locations lodged outside Australia. This means when borders re-open, students will already have visas and be able to make arrangements to travel.
- Eligibility requirements for a post-study work visa (Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) will be relaxed for applicants who are enrolled with an Australian education provider and have been impacted by COVID-19 and associated travel restrictions. Under these arrangements:
- Existing and new student visa holders who undertake online study outside Australia because of COVID 19 will be able to count this towards the Australian Study Requirement.
- Eligible graduates affected by travel restrictions will also be able to apply for and be granted a Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa outside Australia.
- Additional time will be given for applicants to provide English language results where COVID-19 has disrupted access to these services. Additional time will also be provided to undertake biometric collection and health checks where COVID-19 has disrupted access to services
Australia prides itself on being a welcoming nation with a world-class education system and some of the lowest rates of COVID-19 in the world. These changes will help give international students confidence in their visa arrangements so that they can make plans to study in Australia when it is safe to do so.
