Immigration
Australia | Student visa measures to restrict ‘visa hopping’: Commencement of working holiday visa changes for UK citizens
Summary
From 1 July, visitor visa, Temporary Graduate and certain other temporary visa holders will be unable to apply for a Student visa whilst onshore in Australia.
Also, from 1 July UK citizens will be able to apply for a second or third Working Holiday visa without needing to do a period of specified (regional) work.
The detail
As part of the reform of the migration system, the Australian Government signaled changes to the student visa program to support the future integrity of the program.
Building on other Student visa integrity measures introduced earlier this year, from 1 July 2024 holders of the following temporary visas will be prevented from applying for a subclass 500 Student visa whilst onshore in Australia:
● Subclass 485 (Temporary Graduate)
● Subclass 600 (Visitor)
● Subclass 601 (Electronic Travel Authority)
● Subclass 602 (Medical Treatment)
● Subclass 651 (eVisitor)
● Subclass 988 (Maritime Crew)
This restriction on onshore visa renewals is intended to combat ‘permanently temporary’ former international students living in Australia, in other words preventing certain temporary visa holders from going from one visa to another in order to extend their stay in Australia. The new measures mean that holders of the above visas will be required to depart Australia in order to apply for a Student visa and remain outside of Australia until their visa is decided.
This change is part of the Government’s Migration Strategy. A suite of reforms associated with the Strategy will be released throughout 2024.
Finally, a reminder that from 1 July UK citizens will be able to apply for a second or third Working Holiday visa without needing to meet the specified work requirements. This is based on the entry into force of the UK- Australia Free Trade Agreement on 31 May 2023. This means that UK citizens are able to remain in Australia for up to three years on a Working Holiday visa (renewed annually) without needing to undertake a period of specified (regional) work.
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Vialto Partners (“Vialto”) refers to wholly owned subsidiaries of CD&R Galaxy UK OpCo Limited as well as the other members of the Vialto Partners global network. The information contained in this document is for general guidance on matters of interest only. Vialto is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. All information is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including, but not limited to warranties of performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event will Vialto, its related entities, or the agents or employees thereof be liable to you or anyone else for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this document or for any consequential, special or similar damages, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
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Further information on Vialto Partners can be found here: www.vialtopartners.com
Vialto Partners (“Vialto”) refers to wholly owned subsidiaries of CD&R Galaxy UK OpCo Limited as well as the other members of the Vialto Partners global network. The information contained in this document is for general guidance on matters of interest only. Vialto is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. All information is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including, but not limited to warranties of performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event will Vialto, its related entities, or the agents or employees thereof be liable to you or anyone else for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this document or for any consequential, special or similar damages, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
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