Key Points
- A special visa for international students trapped in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic is being phased out.
- Some migration agents and education experts had been calling for it to be abolished sooner.
- The government has also shut down other pandemic-era policies, such as unlimited work hours for foreign students.
A special visa for international students trapped in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic is being phased out, Immigration Minister Andrew Giles has announced, as the government moves to close off visa types created in 2020.
The Pandemic Event Visa (Subclass 408) was established during the height of the pandemic in 2020 to fill labour shortages and support international students who were unable to leave Australia.
But some migration agents and education experts had been calling for it to be abolished sooner, because it allowed people to work unlimited hours for 12 months.
“The Pandemic Event visa was an important part of Australia’s visa system during the pandemic. Many people on temporary visas helped Australia during this period," Giles said in a statement.
"We’re providing an opportunity for people who hold a Pandemic Event Visa to explore another visa option, or plan to leave Australia."
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From 2 September, the Pandemic Event visa will only be open to applications from existing holders, and it will be closed to all applicants from February 2024.
The government has also shut down other pandemic-era policies, such as unlimited work hours for international students and work exemptions for Working Holiday Visa holders.
Giles said these measures would "place downward pressure on net overseas migration, which continues to rebound post-pandemic".
“We’ve brought wait times down, and we’re working to make sure our migration system is working again for all Australians after a decade of mess and mismanagement under the Liberals.”
