On 25 November 2021, Minister for Education & Youth and Minister for Immigration released a joint statement paving the way for more flexible arrangements for 485 visa holders. Summary for the arrangements are:
- 485 visa holders who have been unable to travel to Australia due to COVID-19 will be able to apply for a replacement sc485 visa of the same duration as their original visa.
- The length of stay on sc485 visas will increase from 2 to 3 years for Masters by coursework graduates for post-work study stream and for graduate stream vocational course graduates, visa term will increase from 1.5 years to 2 years.
- Students who have studied online offshore will have their online studies time count towards qualification for the subclass 485 visa.
This is just another announcement made in response to Australia’s reopening and we anticipate more good news to come for students and temporary visa holders.
The full announcement can be found here.