International students and working holiday-makers arriving in Australia will see their visa fee waived after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the new temporary rebate to encourage overseas arrivals.
The rebate is hoped to ease the workforce shortages seen across the nation while Australia grapples with the a
Effective immediately, international students will see visa fees of $630 either waived or rebated for the next eight weeks. For working holiday-goers and backpackers, the fee will be also be rebated for up to twelve weeks.
Speaking at a press conference this morning, Morrison encouraged international students and working holiday-makers to “come on down” to Australia. He continued to state that there were a reported 23,5000 backpackers and 15,000 international students currently holding Australian visas.
The Department of Home Affairs will process the rebate for both international students and backpackers for the respective periods from today onwards.
“What we’ll be doing is we will be rebating the visa application fees from all those who arrive today,” said PM Morrison.
“My message to them is to come on down.
“We want you to come to Australia and enjoy a holiday here in Australia…move all the way around the country and, at the same time, join our workforce.
“Help us in our agricultural sector, in our hospitality sector, and so many of the other parts of the economy that rely on that labour.”
Continuing, the PM also announced a $3 million Tourism Australia marketing campaign to target the two groups to further encourage them to take a trip down under.
Australia is continuing to see workforce shortages nationwide as the country grapples with the Omicron wave. Health professionals and hospital systems, abattoirs, truck drivers and agriculture industries have noted a gap in workers as individuals deal with COVID-19.
The usual influx of international backpackers for the fruit-picking season was also absent, with the federal and state governments devising programs with Australians and Pacific Island residents to fill the sizeable labour shortage. SA welcomed 1,200 Pacific Islander workers during the fruit-picking season to help citrus farmers in the Riverland.
If you have any COVID-19 symptoms, no matter how mild, please seek testing as soon as possible.
Find your nearest testing site at www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/COVIDtesting.
For more information visit https://www.covid-19.sa.gov.au/ or call the SA COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787.
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