Multiple Australian Visa’s Conditions Shift as Covid-19 Concession Ends!

On November 25, 2023, the COVID-19 concession term came to an end. From the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic limited foreign travel and worsened work and business environments. The previous administration introduced temporary measures about an initial concession period. It was to give applicants of specific visa subclasses who were impacted by travel limitations and found it challenging to fulfil the requirements for their visas some leniency. It includes the candidate’s location at the time of application.

The most recent modification will impact six different categories of visa programs, such as employer-sponsored visas, skilled regional and temporary graduate visas, and family visas.

Employer-Sponsored Visa

Starting on November 25, 2023, new nominations for the following visa streams will need Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) holders to have worked for their sponsoring company for two of the preceding three years in the medical field or certain executives.

• Scheme for Employer Nomination (ENS)
• Regional sponsored migration scheme (RSMS)
• Transitional Temporary Residence (TRT) stream.

The ensuing COVID-19 concessions will expire and become unnecessary:

• Terminalities of limited employment due to COVID-19 will not be considered to meet the work experience requirements for new ENS/RSMS TRT stream nomination applications.
• The COVID-19 concession to the high-income earning applicant’s age exemption will not apply to newly submitted ENS/RSMS visa applications.

For ENS visa applications submitted by July 1, 2024, the age exemption for historical 457 workers in Australia during 12 months during the pandemic, from 1 February 2020 to 14 December 2021, will be applicable.

Also Read: Employer-Sponsored Visas in Australia: Everything You Need to Know

Temporary Graduate Visa 485

All the Temporary Graduate Visa (TGV) application programs, regardless of stream, must be submitted in Australia as of November 25, 2023. Applications from subsequent entrants may be submitted within or outside of Australia. Applications from candidates in Australia or abroad (who do not yet have immigration clearance) will still be accepted. 

Recent Post: How Can You Immigrate to Australia Permanently?

Family Visas

Certain Family visa applicants no longer have to meet the “location at the time of visa grant requirement” because of the COVID-19 concessions.

After the concession period ends, applicants for specific Partner and Child visas who applied before November 26, 2023, and who were in Australia at any point during the concession period will still be able to be granted a visa in Australia (provided they meet all other visa requirements). Applicants for Partner and Child who were not in Australia during the COVID-19 concession period are not eligible for the COVID-19 concession arrangements.

Only those who apply for Parent visas during the COVID-19 concession period from February 1, 2020, to November 25, 2023—will be eligible for the concessions. 

Also Read: Partner Visa Australia: All You Need To Know

Skilled Regional Visa Subclass 887

During the COVID-19 concession period, holders of skilled provisional visas are eligible for temporary concessions that allow them to apply for the subclass 887 visa.

During the concession period, eligible potential candidates for subclass 887 visas could lodge from within or outside of Australia. Additionally, shorter terms of work and criteria for regional residence were made available to them.

The employment requirement concession is only available to applicants if they:

• Retained a valid skilled temporary visa during the concessionary period and
• Submit a legitimate application by Monday, February 26, 2024, at the latest, in 3 months.

All further concessions for the subclass 887 visa will terminate at the end of the concession period.

Applying for a subclass 887 visa after November 25, 2023, qualified skilled provisional visa holders must be in Australia but not have completed immigration clearance.

Must Read: 887 Visa Processing Time: 2024 Definitive Guide