Australia will temporarily waive the visa application fees for international students and backpackers, in a move Prime Minister Scott Morrison hopes will address workforce shortages across the country.
Speaking in Canberra on Wednesday morning, Morrison revealed the $630 student visa application fee will be waived for eight weeks from today.
Working backpackers will have their visa application fees wiped for the next 12 weeks.
The announcement comes as critical industries struggle to retain staff through the latest COVID-19 outbreak, which has forced tens of thousands of workers to isolate after exposure to the virus.
Waiving those visa application fees is a “thank you” to international students and backpackers “for coming back and continuing to choose Australia,” Morrison said.
“But we also want them to come here and be able to be filling some of these critical workforce shortages, particularly those who are working and being trained in healthcare, aged care, those types of sectors. That will be incredibly helpful,” he said.
The tweaks follow last week’s update to temporary visa rules, allowing visa holders to work more hours than under normal conditions.
While New South Wales and Victoria allow fully vaccinated overseas arrivals to enter without quarantining, Queensland still imposes a 14-day mandatory quarantine period.
When questioned on whether the jurisdiction could lose out on the immediate benefits of the new visa policy, Morrison said he would “encourage” states to assess their own quarantine rules.
Altogether, the federal government expects the scheme will cost $55 million, including a $3 million Tourism Australia campaign designed to lure international backpackers.
Such a campaign faces strong headwinds due to Australia’s high COVID-19 infection rate.
International health bodies have now taken notice, with the US Center for Disease Control adding Australia to its Level 4 travel advisory list for the first time on Wednesday.
Changes to isolation rules still under consideration
The plan to reimburse international students and backpackers comes as federal leaders and the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), which guides the nation’s public health response, weigh further changes to the nation’s isolation requirements.
Source n credits : David Adams, Business Insider
