Sydney, January 15, The Australian government has granted the student visa holders to work for more hours than they were allowed in the past. It is believed that up to around 400,000 foreign students will have right to work for more than 20 hours in a week which was usual working hours limitation for them to work before this new announcement. During a national cabinet live update on Thursday, 13th January, Scott Morrison, Australia’s Prime Minister stated, “The commonwealth has already lifted the 20-hour rule on student visa holders.”
This temporary flexible approach is taken to ease the damaging labour shortage across the country heighted by the isolation of significant numbers of workers in the face of COVID-19. The working cap ‘40-hour-a-fortnight’ will be lifted for the international students working in the COVID-19 affected work sectors in the wake of growing Omicron cases. From now onwards, they will be allowed to work up to 80 hours a fortnight. These temporary measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic will be reviewed by the Government considering the situation.
The students are expected to continue to balance their study and work commitments regardless of the new rule of more flexibility in work hours in certain sectors.
According to the government sources, the overseas students working for more than 40 hours per fortnight must maintain their course enrolment, ensure satisfactory course attendance, and satisfactory course progress.
Student visa holders who cancel their enrolment and stop attending classes, or fail to meet satisfactory course progress, may be in breach of their visa conditions.
