Australia waves off visa charges for international students

In a major initiative to address workforce shortages, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that visa application fees would be waived for international students and certain visa holders for a limited period.

In a press conference inviting international students to come to Australia, Morrison said the student visa application fee would be waived for the next eight weeks starting January 19.

 “and there are around 150,000 students who have visas, who we are encouraged to come back to be there for the start of their university or college year, and that is a thank you to them for coming back and continuing to choose Australia”, he said.

Highlighting the need for a workforce in the healthcare, aged care, and related sector, he said that he is inviting international students not only for higher education but also to fill the workforce gaps.

In addition to students, Morison also invited working holiday visa holders. The policy is estimated to cost AU$55 million to the government. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the government was expecting 175,000 people to apply.

It is worth mentioning here that Australia is facing a huge shortage of skilled workers in almost all the major sectors. As per the latest data from the Australian Bureau of statistics, till November 2021, there were around 396,100 vacancies available. Out of these, 361700 vacancies were from the private sector, and 34300 were from the public sector.

Accommodation and food services, administrative and support services, Public administration and safety, health care and social assistance, manufacturing, and construction sectors are the highest affected sectors. 

Eligibility and process for a rebate on Australia study visa application charges

As per the guideline, fully vaccinated students with an Australian study visa (subclasses 500, 560, 571, 572, 573, 574, or 575), who will arrive in Australia between January 19, 2022, and March 19, 2022, will be eligible to claim a rebate on the study visa application charges.

To claim a rebate on the study visa application charges, students will have to fill in their details, such as name, date of birth, passport, visa application reference number, and bank account details, in an online form that wil be available in the coming days on theofficial page of the department of home affairs Australia. The claim can be made till December 31, 2022.

More working hours for students

The Australian government has recently eased working hours for international students in all sectors of the economy to meet the workforce shortage. Under this, all international students who are there and new students who want to go there and start a job before the start of the course can work more than 40 hours in a fortnight.

It is the best time to study in Australia

Looking at the scenario and the number of job opportunities in the sectors mentioned above, the future of international students intending to travel to Australia to complete their higher education is looking bright. It is likely that they will get great work and PR opportunities after completing their studies. Students aspiring to study in Australia are advised to visit any of the pyramid’s branches or call at 92563-92563 to get more details and apply for their Australia study visa.