Universities smell a rat as ‘students’ leap on Covid work visas

The federal government is being urged to abolish a special pandemic work visa which is being rorted by non-genuine students.

International Education Association of Australia chief executive Phil Honeywood. Picture: Aaron Francis

The international education ­industry has called on the federal government to end a special pandemic work visa which it warns is being rorted by people who are in Australia to find a job rather than study.

The pandemic event visa (subclass 408) was introduced during Covid as an emergency measure to allow students and other temporary visa holders, who couldn’t get home because of travel problems, to legally remain in Australia and work for up to 12 months.

However the International Education Association of Australia has told the government that the visa is now being exploited as an easy way to come to Australia and get 12 months of work rights.

English-language colleges say they face a major problem with international students who arrive in Australia on a student visa for an English course, but soon apply for a pandemic event visa and drop out to take a job.

English Australia CEO Brett Blacker, whose group represents English colleges, said the 408 visa had a valid role to play in caring for students during border closures, but “at the moment feels more like a labour force incentive than a student incentive”.

“We see this as a visa which is open to be exploited and outside the realm of supporting students with the purpose of study,” Mr Blacker said.

The 408 visa offers an easy route to legally work in Australia. The first step is to obtain a student visa for an English-language course, which can be as short as three months’ duration. Then, if a student is in Australia on a three-month student visa, they can almost immediately apply at no cost for a 408 pandemic event visa. A 408 visa application can be lodged when the ­applicant’s current visa has less than 90 days to run.

IEAA chief executive Phil Honeywood said that, because travel restrictions had ended, the pandemic event visa was no longer necessary. “International education stakeholders are surprised that this special temporary visa is still in place,” he said.

“Insofar as it offers a free full-time work visa it is open to abuse, and representations are being made to have this visa sub class abolished as soon as possible.”

The Department of Home ­Affairs has told the education ­industry that 22,000 applications for 408 visas were received in the past nine months, but it is not clear how many of them were from students and how many from other temporary visa holders.