Month: February 2021

When it comes to one-year postgraduate degrees, most people are probably most familiar with the UK’s Master’s programmes — many students choose to study in the UK after graduation because they can earn a Master’s qualification in a short time. What you might not know is that many Australian universities, including the Group of Eight (Go8), also offer 1-year postgraduate programmes, covering popular fields such as business and IT, among others.

Last financial year, due to the pandemic, Subclass 189 skilled independent invitations effectively stopped, apart from a small number for pandemic-related occupations, and this has continued right up to now. With the outlook for skilled independent migration looking tough, many applicants have started looking at other migration pathways.

Even though Australia’s border remains closed for now, plenty of students are still stranded overseas and unable to get back, and visitor visas lodged offshore aren’t being approved either. That said, this period is actually a windfall for part-time work-study visas — the Department of Home Affairs is granting them thick and fast, and whether applicants are onshore or offshore, we’re seeing success stories almost every day. This also shows that Australia, while keeping things safe, is very much welcoming international students back to classes here.

It’s probably peak renewal season for working holiday visas right now, and with international travel yet to fully resume and the pandemic still causing disruption, many 462/417 working holiday visa holders have been getting in touch to ask how they can keep working, studying and enjoying life happily in Australia.

On the migration journey, whenever you face doubts or difficulties, here you’ll find the answer that’s right for you. Your student visa is about to expire — what do you do? Failed a subject? Moving up to a higher course? Transferring schools? Accidentally became an unlawful non-citizen? Finished study and need to work? Your Subclass 485 is about to expire — what now? In this issue of the Migration Star Insights video, we’ve gathered and summarised the different situations that arise when a visa is about to expire and set out some options for your reference. Migration consultants Ethan and Jason take a professional angle and use vivid examples to walk you through the different plans one by one. If you have other questions on your mind, leave us a comment and we’ll answer them in the next issue!