Australia rolls out visa support measures for international students

The Australian government has launched visa support initiatives for international students and graduates, including COVID-19 visa fee waivers, visa fee refunds and post-study work visa extensions. Additional time for English language testing is also provided as part of the support initiatives.

Fully vaccinated student visa holders who arrived in Australia between January 19, 2022 and March 19, 2022 will be eligible for a refund of the visa fee, the Australian Trade Investment Commission has reported.

Another important relief for international students is the temporary relaxation of working hours while studying. However, no exceptions are made regarding course requirements such as enrollment and attendance.

In addition, students who were unable to complete their course on time due to the pandemic are also eligible for the visa application fee waiver. “Students already in Australia who had a student visa on or after February 1, 2020 and were unable to complete their course within the original visa period due to the impact of Covid may be eligible for a waiver of their student visa application fee (VAC) when applying for a new student visa,” officials said.