Attention temporary visa holders currently onshore — 500/485/WHV and more! An important visa reminder for you!

Onshore in Australia · Watch your visa renewal timing

● Visa about to expire, flights home hard to find, departure costs sky-high? Renewing onshore in Australia is a great option!

● Every year,15 March and 30 Augustare the dates when most students’ visas expire. Please make sure to check your visa expiry date before these two dates, and don’t miss your renewal window.

At present, due to the pandemic, offshore applications are being processed very slowly (though they can still be lodged),but onshore visa applications are still being processed normally!In fact, some approval times are even faster now than before the pandemic began!

● Recommended renewal options

408 Visa – The newest visa type introduced during the pandemic! No official application fee, and applicantsworking in public health, aged care, agriculture, or tourism and hospitalityhave an even greater advantage! If eligible, the visa can come with work rights.

600 Visa – Visitor visa — renewable for up to 9 months!

500 Visa– Student visa (both long-term and short-term courses work)!

The COVID-19 Pandemic event stream sits under the Subclass 408 visa’s Australian Government Endorsed Events branch. During the period of border closures caused by the pandemic, it gives temporary visa holders onshore in Australia a more flexible way to renew, and the fee-free application is the government’s way of supporting applicants.

If you work in aged care, child care, agriculture, public health, or tourism and hospitality, you can apply for a Subclass 408 visa with work rights.

If you simply have no other visa options and can’t leave the country for the time being, you can still apply for the 408 free of charge, but without work rights.

This pandemic visa officially came into effect on 4 April 2020 and remains open for applications, with no visa application fee for applicants.

Basic eligibility requirements:

— You are onshore in Australia;

— You are unable to leave Australia due to the pandemic (e.g. unable to book a flight);

—Your current visa has no more than 90 days’ validity remaining, or your last substantive visa has expired but by no more than 28 days,and you cannot apply for any other visa;

You are currently working in, or already have an offer in, one of the following fields:

aged care, child care, agriculture, public health, or tourism and hospitality

Another way to renew is the Subclass 600 visa (visitor visa). This visa is generally granted for three months, six months, nine months, or even a year, but there’s one important point to stress:this visa does not come with work rights.

The main documents you’ll need to provide are as follows: 

Passport scan

Passport photo

Proof of any former name, if applicable

Scanned copy of birth certificate or household register, plus a notarised scan

Bank statement (ideally showing around RMB 100,000 maintained over the past three months; if this isn’t possible, your parents can instead provide proof of their domestic bank savings, an employer salary certificate, and a signed letter of financial support)

Return flight ticket home

The Subclass 500 visa is the student visa, also known as the work-and-study visa. Whatever school and course you’re applying for, it falls under the Subclass 500 student visa. Whether onshore or offshore, all student visa applicants must now lodge online as an eVisa application — there’s no longer a paper visa. Lodgement and grant are no longer split by onshore/offshore location either, meaning that if you lodge onshore in Australia and then return home, the visa can still be granted while you’re back home (offshore).The Subclass 500 visa no longer requires mandatory proof of funds or mandatory proof of English proficiency. This is good news for many students.

Main document checklist:

Passport (photo page and all visa pages)

OSHC student health insurance policy

CoE issued by the school

GTE statement of purpose(clearly explain your genuine reasons for choosing this school and course, your plans after returning home upon graduation, and so on — the GTE is a key criterion case officers use to assess whether you are a genuine student)

Scan of both sides of your ID card

If you’ve changed your name, provide a notarised document showing your former name

Students under 18 need to provide additional supporting documents and forms

‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍Renewal essentials · Points to note

● 1) School risk rating

When applying for the work-and-study visa, pay particular attention to the school’s risk rating with the Department of Home Affairs and whether the school is financially stable (the Department rates schools on a scale from Level 1 to Level 3).Some institutions face the risk of closure due to poor management, leaving students potentially with no school to attend or having to transfer.

● 2) Course suitability

When assessing an applicant’s background, the Department also focuses closely on whether you are a genuine student with a genuine intention to study,and whether there is any tendency towards migration intent or unlawful overstay.To make your application credible, you need tocarefully think through whether the school and course you’re applying for align with your work experience and educational background,and this point should not be overlooked, or it could affect your subsequent visa applications.

● 3) Fraudulent documents 

We often hear from people that some agencies, knowing an applicant like them doesn’t meet the requirements, have asked them to provide fraudulent documents. Or an applicant has provided fraudulent documents without telling their agent. This needs very careful attention —if the Department discovers fraudulent documents submitted with a visa application, this breaches PIC 4020, which will directly result in visa refusal! It also carries a penalty of being barred from entering Australia for 3 years,and a record of this will remain with the Department afterwards,making it very difficult to apply for a visa again!

● 4)Whether your visa history includes a refusal or a period of overstaying

Here too, you need totake care not to conceal or misstate your true circumstances — the Department pays closer attention to applicants with a history of refusal or overstay when assessing a visa,and you may be asked to explain or provide additional documents; in serious cases, the visa may be refused outright, so make sure you keep a close eye on your visa expiry date. If any of the above applies to you, don’t panic — everyone’s situation is different, and each case needs to be handled individually.