The Immigration Minister, Alex Hawke made a few announcements important for migrants in Australia:
1) Hospitality and Tourism are soon also to be classified as critical industries alongside other sectors such as agriculture, food processing, health care, disability care and childcare with similar allowances. Temporary visa holders working in or intending to work in critical sectors are able to apply for the Subclass 408 COVID-19 Visa which enables them to remain in Australia for up to 12 additional months and have full work rights.
2) International Students working in Hospitality and Tourism will soon be exempt from their work limitations and can work beyond their usually restricted hours.
3) Veterinarians will be added to the Priority Skilled Occupation List for skills deemed critical for Australia’s economic recovery. Read our previous blog article about the other priority occupations here
There are currently 300,000 international students in Australia who have restricted work rights and can only work a maximum of 40 hours per fortnight while studying. In order to boost the tourism and hospitality industry, the Australian Government is now removing the existing cap for student visa holders employed in these sectors following strong industry feedback.
Immigration Minister Hawke said the tourism and hospitality sectors employ more than half a million Australians and these changes will help businesses supplement their existing workforce, which he described as “generating employment through a job multiplier effect”.
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