The Australian Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Education have jointly announced further work rights and visa extensions for overseas students and recent Australian graduates from 1 July 2023!
Increase in Work Hours for Students
While student work restrictions were temporarily relaxed due to COVID, from 1 July 2023, the allowable work hours cap for subclass 500 visa holders will start again BUT there will be an increase from 40 hours per fortnight to 48 hours per fortnight (while a course is in session).
This increase in allowable work hours is intended to help overseas students deal with higher costs of living pressures, while contributing to Australia’s ongoing workforce shortages. Student visa holders and employers should watch for continued updates regarding work condition changes for visa holders.
Extended periods of stay for 485 visa holders in certain fields
To address pressing skills shortages, from 1 July 2023, eligible graduates with select qualifications in demand and a valid subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa, or graduates applying for subclass 485 visas in the Post Study work stream, may be eligible for a subclass 485 visa with an additional 2 year period of stay as follows:
- Bachelor degree in an eligible course: 2 years --> 4 years
- Masters degree in an eligible course: 3 years --> 5 years
- All Doctoral degrees (any discipline): 4 years --> 6 years
Regional second subclass 485 visa holders will also be eligible for a 2 year extension.
While the list of select qualifications is still in development, the list is expected to include a range of engineering & construction, health & allied health, education, food & agriculture and IT qualifications. This formal list is expected to be released closer to 1 July 2023.
Extensions for other subclass 485 visa holders
If you are not eligible under a select qualification as detailed above, you may be eligible for a further 2-year subclass 408 COVID-19 Pandemic visa if:
- You are a subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa holder in Australia with a visa that expired (or will expire) between 1 September 2022 and 1 July 2023, or
- You were in in Australia throughout the COVID-19 pandemic period and are not eligible for the Temporary Graduate Replacement Stream visa.
To apply for the subclass 480 visa, you must:
- be working in Australia or have an offer of employment and
- apply for the subclass 408 visa 90 days before your subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa expires, or within 28 days after your subclass 485 TGV expires.
It is important to note that if you are granted a subclass 408 COVID-19 Pandemic Event visa, you will not be eligible to apply separately for an extended subclass 485 visa so careful consideration of your visa options is needed before taking any action.
Do you have questions about the extended work rights for student visa holders or your eligibility for the Temporary Graduate visa holder extension pathways? Please feel free to contact us. We are here to help!
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Photo by Evan Mach on Unsplash
