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Fresh Measures for Australian Immigration and Visa Concessions in 2020

19th September 2020 Australian immigration introduced an Amendment in the Migration laws, this allowed concessions for certain visa holders as well as applicants. The Amendment alters some of the very basic requirements for 485, 887, 188, 888, and 790 visas. This decision was taken to help people affected by COVID-19.

Here are the changes made to the Migration laws:

Concession Period – Immigration has introduced a period of concession that promotes concession applications. The period was started on 1 February 2020 and has no end date as of now.

485 Graduate Temporary Visa

The International Graduates stuck overseas due to closures of the border, are now provided a clear pathway that gives them a chance to apply for a subclass 485 Temporary Graduate Visa from Outside Australia. The applicants can be granted a visa in both cases, whether they are in and outside Australia. The validity of the issued visa starts from the date of entry to Australia and not from the grant date. All the applicants who lodged their applications before 19th September 2020, however, are now offshore can still have 485 granted while they are still overseas.

In case, the applicant was not present in Australia during the whole period or partly from 1st February 2020 to 19th September 2020, they:

· 12 months from the course completion to apply

· Student visa is not required within the last 6 months.

887 Skilled Regional (Permanent) Visa

Immigration will offer the applicants a chance to convert to the Subclass 887 visa and apply for the same even when not living in Australia. Similar to the graduates, immigration will give the applicants a chance to convert to a subclass 887 visa to apply even when outside Australia. This is inclusive of primary applicants and their dependents. Here’s how it works for the applicant who:

  • Currently, hold any eligible provisional visas that can be applied for both from in or outside Australia.
  • Previously held eligible provisional visas, and the visa expires within the concession period, and can very well apply from outside Australia.

· Currently or previously held an eligible provisional visa, have been stuck overseas, and who apply from outside Australia during the concession period can count 6 months spent overseas towards the 2-year residence requirement.

SBS Language | Australian visas: Good news for temporary visa holders and  international students stranded by COVID-19 border closure

In the revised rule, the one-year work requirement is also minimized and reduced to 9 months for the people who held an eligible provisional visa that took place during the concession period. 

888 Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) visas

Former secondary and primary subclass 188 visa holders whose visa expires during the concession period are now eligible to apply for the subclass 888 visa, the only condition here says that it is as long as the whole thing is lodged, not more than 3 months post the concession period ends.

Investor and Significant Investor stream also have some amendments made in them to allow for the withdrawal as well as cancellation of the certain investments that happen during the concession period.

188 Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visas

Applicants who held a Subclass 188 Business Innovation Extension stream visa granted before 1 July 2019 can now apply for a second Extension stream visa, lodged no more than 3 months after the concession period ends (currently no end date).

Former 188 Business Innovation stream visa holders will have the option to apply for a 188 Business Innovation Extension stream visa gave their unique 188 visas were allowed before 1 July 2019, and the new application is supposed to be lodged close to 3 months after the concession time frame closes (presently no closure date). 

Candidates who held a Subclass 188 Business Innovation Extension stream visa allowed before 1 July 2019 would now be able to apply for a subsequent Extension stream visa, stopped close to 3 months after the concession time frame closes (at present no closure date).

790 Safe Haven Enterprise Visa

Current and former SHEV holders will be able to count periods during this concession period, where they:

· Got Special Benefit payments;

· Were unemployed; or

· Got a chance to work outside a SHEV regional area. 

If you want to know more about COVID-19 Australian Visa and Immigration concession then Australian Migration Agency in Dubai can help you with all your queries. Giant Migration extends the best Australian immigration consultants in Abu Dhabi. Consult us, to know more!

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