COVID-19 & Your Visa Options

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• Migration Education Services Australia

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About Us
The Australian continent is surrounded by the
Indian and Pacific Oceans, also being a hub of
highly advanced cities. With Sydney, Melbourne,
Brisbane,Perth and Adelaide as main cities -
Australia has a lot to experience in terms of
living and studying. Southern Stone International
is a highly reputable migration agency located in
Mount Waverley, Melbourne and specialize in
providing tailored Australian visa and migration
services.We are exceptionally experienced and
trained to assist businesses and individuals,
irrespective of background or ethnicity to obtain
the best visa or migration outcome.
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COVID-19 Your Visa Options
As of noon 06 April 2020,  Australia has
registered 5,687 COVID-19 cases, with 39 fallen
victim to this virus which has so quickly changed
the world we live in, perhaps, forever. Australia
is fortunate so far to not be seeing the number
of deaths that other countries such as Italy,
Spain and the United States are experiencing,
however, we will all agree that since the
COVID-19 was announced a pandemic by the World
Health Organization three weeks ago, there is no
part of our societys socio-economic fabric that
remains untouched.
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• Prime Minister Scott Morrison has repeatedly said
  that unprecedented times call for unprecedented
  measures, and as seen from the raft of financial
  support/rescue packages announced by the
  Australian government, billions are being handed
  out to families and businesses. This has been
  tremendously welcomed and it is times like this
  that I am grateful to be an Australian. However,
  for the majority of my clients who unfortunately
  are not permanent residents, citizens or hold
  special category visas, there is a great degree
  of uncertainty.

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Visitor Visas (Typically subclass 600, 651,
ETAs) 

• Current 203,000 visitors in Australia
• Government says you should return home as soon as
  possible, especially those without family
  support.
• My advice is to heed this unless you are in
  Australia with friends and family who can fully
  support you for a prolonged period of time.
• If your visa is near expiring, please ensure that
  you apply to extend your stay. Those with
  condition 8503 No Further Stay condition
  should request for a waiver as soon as possible
  or contact us to assist in this process.

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Student Visas (Subclass 500)

• Currently 565,000 international students in
  Australia and provide support for 240,000
  Australian jobs.
• Government does not want to lose this cohort as
  they bring great value to the Australian economy.
• JobSeeker and JobKeeper payments are not
  available to students.
• Students are to seek part-time work, family
  support and their own savings to sustain
  themselves in Australia. 
• Students who have been in Australia longer than
  12 months are able to access their Australian
  superannuation. 
• Some education providers and universities have
  offered discounted tuition fees and payment
  plans to assist students.
• Students working in aged care and as nurses have
  work restrictions lifted to support these
  critical sectors.

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• Students working in major supermarkets have
  work restrictions lifted until 1st May 2020.
• Government will be flexible with visa conditions
  as to how flexible this remains to be seen due
  to the changing nature of the virus.
• Temporary Skilled visa holders (subclass 457,
  482)
• Currently 139,000 temporary skilled visa holders
  on either 2 or 4 year visas. 
• If you are temporarily stood down, your visa
  remains valid and your employer may extend your
  visa in due course.
• Sponsoring employers will be able to reduce the
  hours of visa holders and this will not
  breach the visa holders visa conditions.
• Temporary workers can access up to 10,000 of
  their superannuation in the 2019/2020 financial
  year.

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Working Holiday Visas (WHV Subclass 417, 462)

• 118,000 in Australia on working holiday visas.
• WHV holders working in health, aged and
  disability care, agriculture and food processing
  and childcare will be waived the six-month work
  limitation with one employer and will be eligible
  for a further WHV to keep working in these
  sectors if their current visa is expiring within
  6 months.
• WHV holders who will struggle to sustain
  themselves over the next 6 months should return
  home.
• The current reality is that many WHV holders are
  in limbo, with little or no savings, no
  employment and unable to afford flights back
  home. There are many jobs still in regional
  Australia, however, with state-imposed travel
  restrictions, visa holders may not be able to go
  where workers are needed.

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New Zealanders on 444 Visas

• Currently 672,000 New Zealanders on Special
  Category subclass 444 visas
• Those arriving before 26 February 2001 will
  have access to welfare payments and the
  JobKeeper payment.
• Those arriving after 2001 will have access to the
  JobKeeper payment only.
• Those who have lived in Australia for 10 years or
  more will have access to the JobSeeker payments.
• Those still unable to financially support
  themselves should return to New Zealand.

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Other Temporary Visa Holders

• About 92,500 Temporary Graduate visa holders
• Another 92,500 on other temporary visas
• Government says they will be able to access
  Australian superannuation if needed
• In addition, a new Subclass 408 (Temporary
  Activity) visa commenced 04 April 2020 and
  provides a pathway to extend time in Australia
  for temporary visa holders who would otherwise be
  required to leave Australia, however, cannot do
  so due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This visa is
  usually intended for applicants who arrive in
  Australia to do specific types of work on a
  short-term, temporary basis.

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This stream of the subclass 408 visa will be free
to apply however, will only be open to those who
are working in critical industries such as
agriculture, aged care and public health.
Applicants must also continue to engage in this
work or have the relevant skills to
undertake critical work in relation to the supply
of essential goods and services.
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I have been contemplating what the Australian
government will do with temporary visa holders at
the onset of COVID-19 as it became clear that
severe restrictions would be put in place,
rendering many businesses paralysed and workers
made redundant. I had hoped that at the very
least, given the reliance of these temporary visa
holders for many of Australian industries,
Australia would at least model their policy on
other countries such as New Zealand and the
United Kingdom who have provided a blanket
extension on temporary visa holders. For example,
New Zealand will automatically extend visas for
all those on temporary visas before 1st April
2020 until 25 September 2020. Further, there are
many more questions that require answers,
especially for the thousands of business with
sponsored workers, e.g., should the payment for
the SAF levy be waived temporarily, should the
requirement on labor market testing and wage
limit also be waived as we ride out this
pandemic. 
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• A proportion of these temporary visa holders have
  also lodged their permanent residency visa
  application and are awaiting processing. We have
  noted that there is almost a halt in the
  processing of all visas and do not expect any
  permanent residency visa grants in the short
  term. This is my guess and my guess is based on
• Many case officers being re-directed to other
  department functions and
• Given the current waive on waiting periods,
  approving permanent residency applications will
  add to the current social welfare burden. 
• Unfortunately, it is clear that at least for now,
  there is a lack of political will/incentive to
  make further changes to the current regulations
  and policies, aside from what has been relayed
  above. Australia is grappling with the situation
  as best as it can, though as with any political
  decision-making, there are winners and there are
  losers. With the COVID-19 pandemic however, there
  are no winners.

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Contact Info

• Suite 12, 241-243 Blackburn Road Mount Waverley
  VIC 3149
• 1300 188 999
• info_at_southernstone.com.au
• www.southernstone.com.au