Australia Launches New Incentives For International Visa Holders
Australia is waiving visa application fees for thousands of international visa holders, such as working holiday travelers (A$495 US$359) and international students (A$630 US$457). The country is offering the new visa rebate scheme in a bid to boost a labor shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but only if they can travel to Australia within the coming weeks.
Australia’s visa rebate schemes
The country’s working holiday visa schemes are available to applicants from a number of countries, including Canada, Japan, a number of European nations, South Korea, the US and the UK. Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 30, or 18 and 35 for Canadian, Irish and French citizens.
The visa allows the holder to apply for temporary work while in Australia, in order to fund their trip, and is valid for one year. This is a popular option for many young people, backpacking around the world, and there is also an option to extend the visa in a number of cases to two or three years.
Visa scheme halted during COVID-19 pandemic
Australia’s government put the visa schemes on hold when the COVID-19 pandemic started and the country’s borders were closed. However, earlier in January, with labor shortages fueled by the pandemic, the government reopened the scheme and is now making it easier for people to visit Australia by offering financial incentives via a visa rebate scheme.
In a press conference on January 19, Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that visitors do not have to pay the A$495/US$357 visa application fees, as long as they arrive in the country in the next 12 weeks. Basically, this means they can apply for a full refund of the visa charges on arrival in Australia.
“If they turn up within the next 12 weeks, they will get their visa application fee rebated by the Department of Home Affairs. Anyone who applies for one and turns up within the next 12 weeks, will also have their visa application fee rebated,” Morrison said.
As for international students, they will receive their A$630/US$455 refund from the government, as long as they arrive in Australia within the next eight weeks. This is to allow their arrival to coincide with the start of the new university school year.
Morrison said that there are around 23,500 backpackers who already hold visas to travel to Australia right now, along with 150,000 students. He said his message to them is “come on down now, because you’ve wanted to come to Australia, you’ve got your visa.”
“Move all the way around the country, and the same time join our workforce and help us in our agricultural sector, in our hospitality sector, and so many of the other parts of the economy that rely on that labor.”
According to the Prime Minister, the refund scheme forms part of a Tourism Australia marketing program targeting backpackers and students.
Who can visit Australia?
Currently, Australia’s borders are only open to certain visa holders, including working holidaymakers, international students, skilled migrants and family visa holders. Travelers from Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea are also welcome, along with any Australian citizens living overseas.
For the moment, the rest of the world is banned from visiting, but Australia will likely ease its border restrictions over the coming months. However, while some states are open to fully vaccinated travelers who test negative for the virus, others have additional restrictions in place, including quarantine. Always check the latest entry rules before booking your trip to Australia.
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