Australia Offers Visa Fees Rebate for International Students

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With the educational and economic sector at its peak in Australia, the government has announced visa fee rebates and other incentives for the international students, and tourists for a limited period. Visitors to Australia who arrive on a student or working holiday visa will receive a refund on their application cost, according to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Morrison expressed his optimism that the new arrivals will be able to fill up Australia’s “workforce shortages”, especially in the agriculture and hospitality sector which has been caused by the COVID pandemic.

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The rebate programme will begin on January 19, 2022, and the working hours of Australian student visa holders in all sectors of the economy will be expanded to more than 20 hours per week. The stated visa fee rebate is set at AUD 630 for each foreign student entering the country, costing the government roughly AUD 55 million when combined with the backpacker's rebate program.

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During a news conference, Morrison stated "My message to them is 'Come on down. Come on down now,' He also said that Australia was still well-prepared and in a better position when it comes to Covid-19 response, with high vaccination rates and a low mortality rate as compared to other western countries like the USA, UK. "The Omicron wave's peak is either upon us now or will be upon us in states over the coming two weeks," he continued. However Morrison didn't lay out the specifics of the rebate, but he did say that it will be effective for the following eight weeks for students and twelve weeks for working holiday visa holders.In an opinion article sent by his office on Wednesday, opposition Labor leader Anthony Albanese claimed Australia was "too reliant on international labor." If the economy is to truly recover from the epidemic, Albanese believes the Morrison government must address a skills gap. "The long-term solution," he continued, "is to train more Australians to satisfy our own labor demands."

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Furthermore, Australia's economy has been under growing strain in recent months as a result of the Omicron Covid-19 variant's broad outbreak. As a result of being forced to isolate after being exposed to covid, worker shortages have erupted across the country, leaving many markets empty. A number of food and logistics companies reported that between 10% and 50% of their staff were absent on any given day. Prior to the latest Covid-19 outbreak, Australia's job vacancies have skyrocketed, rising over 18.5%, i.e. 400,000 in three months. After rising in the previous two months, the unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent in November.

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Australia wants its international students, backpackers, and travelers to return to the country as soon as possible. With these incentives, it is anticipated that international travelers and students would be drawn onshore. Currently, 150,000 overseas students with visas are studying abroad, while 324,000 are studying in the United States. There are 23,500 working holiday makers offshore and 18,500 onshore. The government also intends to expedite the acceptance of new visa applications so that applicants can take advantage of the refund by arriving in the country within the eight-week time limit.

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Students are skeptical that, because economic and labor shortages are at the root of rebate and work-hour changes, they would be repealed as soon as the economy appears to be improving and student welfare is used as a shield and for personal gain. In response, ITECA stated that while these proposed improvements may benefit the economy, their major focus will continue to be on the quality and timely completion of international students' courses.

Queensland has also declared that beginning at 1 a.m. on January 22, 2022, fully vaccinated immigrants would be accepted without quarantine.The state is on its way to meeting its goal of vaccinating 90% of the population. Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport's quarantine facility was a strategic asset for the country, as it strove for greater vaccination rates.

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