1 Dec → 15 Dec
After Australia announced last week that it would reopen borders to student visa holders and other groups from 1 December, many people began planning their visa applications for Australia. However, due to the emergence of a new variant,the reopening has been delayed to 15 December — but it is still just around the corner.The Australian Government’s position is that this is not a long-term control measure — just a pause button to allow authorities more time to assess the situation. An earlier reopening before 15 December has not been ruled out.
So, you can keep preparing your visa application!
Among the visa options for travelling to Australia,
the most frequently asked about
is none other thanthe work-and-study student visa!
For those who have previously been to Australia —
Some of these students had been to Australia before the pandemic and left in a hurry,leaving behind some unresolved issues,which need to be sorted out before reapplying for a visa. Based on the consultations I have received recently, the two most common issues are as follows:
You are overseas, your student visa has not yet expired, but your student visa has been cancelled?
Recently, a large number of students currently outside Australia — particularly work-and-study students —who held a work-and-study student visa that had not yet expired, have found that their student visa has been cancelled by the Department of Home Affairs.Why is this happening?
The reason is simply that during the pandemic,students were outside Australia for an extended period, had deferred their studies overseas, and their Australian school’s Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) had been suspended.The Department of Home Affairs then cancelled these students’ visas on the basis that they had not been studying for an extended period.
So, is there still a way to come to Australia? Yes, there is!
First of all, students who previously held a student visa and are currently overseas should not be too worried. Being outside Australia and having deferred studies due to the pandemic — even if the original student visa was cancelled because you were not studying or attending online classes for an extended period — thisis not the same as being in Australia and deliberately not attending class or studying.
Therefore, if a student wishes to continue their studies in Australia,they can still lodge a new student visa application, re-plan their future study in Australia, and carefully map out their field of study, timeline, and other details,with a strong chance of having their student visa approved again.
You are overseas, your student visa is still valid, but your COE has been suspended. How do you keep your student visa valid?
Due to the pandemic, the border remained closed, and students holding a student visa were stuck outside Australia.If your student visa is currently still valid(feel free to add us on WeChat for a free check on whether your visa is still valid), but you are on a study deferral and your school’s COE has been suspended or cancelled — you are actually in a fortunate position,so please contact your school or our team urgently to re-enrol in a new course and renew your COE.This gives you a strong chance of keeping your student visa from being cancelled by the Department of Home Affairs.You would then be able to enter Australia within the validity period of your current student visa.
Never been to Australia before, and want to study/work/experience life there —
Australia is genuinely short-staffed, employers are genuinely worried, and there are real opportunities and good wages on offer!
Due to the impact of the pandemic, Australia enforced border closures for nearly two years, severely worsening its worker shortage,with vacancies in the hospitality industry expected to exceed 100,000. The number of vacant positions has already jumped from 84,376 to 93,395.Reports indicate that as the hospitality industry returns to pre-pandemic operating levels and the country enters the warmer months,the number of vacancies is set to surge.
The most sought-after applicants are for positions such asbaristas (20,713), followed by waitstaff (14,737), bartenders (13,758), and chefs (11,028). In addition, there are tens of thousands of vacancies for café managers, restaurant managers, and sous chefs.The hospitality industry is widely regarded as the sector hardest hit by the pandemic,owing to the disrupted employment conditions during stop-start lockdowns and the industry’s reliance on international workers.
Jeremy Courmadias, Managing Director of the Fink Group, said the group had lost 30% of its workforce during the pandemic. Workers either returned to their home countries because they were not eligible for JobKeeper, or found less volatile career opportunities.”“There are fewer workers available now, and a number of new restaurants have opened up,” he said. “It is an extremely competitive market… Wages are a key driver for new employees when choosing where to work.
So if you are overseas and have never been to Australia, how do you apply for a work-and-study student visa?
Due to the pandemic, new international student applications in Australia dropped sharply — which actually created a wave of improved student visa approval rates!
Student visa approval rates were very high in 2020, and 2021 continued the positive approval trend.We have handled numerous work-and-study student visa applications lodged directly from overseas — a one-step process, applied offshore, with student visas granted directly for 2–3 years.
Now with the borders about to reopen, it is springtime for student visas — and in 2022, student visa approvals are expected to remain favourable!As is well known, Australia’s work-and-study student visa is low-cost, provides legal work rights, offers flexible courses, and comes with a wide range of programme options — cookery, nursing, massage, and more —making it ideal for students who want to work while studying and experience life in Australia. With approval rates currently very high, we warmly encourage everyone to consider the work-and-study student visa.
A group for timely updates on returning to Australia has been set up
Students who wish to join
can add our customer service and leave the note: Return to Australia
Basic Entry Process from Overseas
First, the most important step:have received a TGA-approved vaccine. For students in China, only Sinovac and Sinopharm (Beijing) are recognised — including Sinopharm vaccines repackaged by other manufacturers, accepted for those aged 18–60.
Second,hold a valid entry visa — Subclass 500 student visa is prominently included
Third, 3–7 days (72 to 168 hours) before departure you need to completeTravel Declaration
Finally, within 72 hours before departure you need to completea PCR test
In addition, the documents you need to prepare includea vaccination certificate:
obtained by generating an International Travel Health Certificate via the WeChat Mini Programme
– Open the WeChat Mini Programme, search for the “International Travel Health Code” mini-program, and open it
– Once open, tap “View and Show International Travel Health Certificate”
– Then select “View My International Travel Health Certificate”
– Enter your name and ID number for facial recognition verification
– Once verified, enter your passport number to access your domestic vaccination records
– After generating the bilingual (Chinese and English) vaccination record, tap the top-right corner to save it as an image or PDF — no additional NAATI translation is required
A further reminder: the current status of Australia’s border reopening
On 29 November 2021, Prime Minister Morrison announced that the plan to reopen the border to temporary residents — including student visa, temporary work visa, and humanitarian visa holders — would be delayed to 15 December, to allow health authorities to gather and assess the latest information on the Omicron variant.
However, there is no need for excessive concern. Prime Minister Morrison stated thatthe Federal Government would continue to act in a “prudent and targeted” manner under the guidance of medical experts,to ensure that Australia can open safely and learn to live with the virus.
At the same time, Federal Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews told media thata 14-day pause in the border reopening was “appropriate”, and that Australia had been “opening its borders as safely and as quickly as possible”.
The Treasurer also stated yesterday:Australia is not preparing for long-term border controls this time. The data and signals on the new variant are relatively positive — this pause is simply a precautionary measure.
In summary, the borders are about to reopen! The golden era for Australian student visas is here! Whether you hold a 417/462 working holiday visa, a visitor visa, a student visa, or a Subclass 485 Graduate Work visa, you can opt to renew with a work-and-study student visa. Low cost, legal work rights, flexible courses, and very high approval rates. Most importantly,students applying from overseas are also finding it very easy to get approved! If you would like detailed advice on visa and course planning, please feel free to contact us directly!
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