Australia Confirms Post-Study Work Visa for Students Undertaking Online Studies!
By Yash Kansal, 22nd July 2020
We are delighted to inform you that the Australian government has confirmed that international offshore students undertaking online studies will be eligible for Post-Study work visa. The official release is available on the following link:
With this important update and with some of the lowest Covid-19 rates in the world, this is an opportune time to start recruiting students in Australian Universities.
There are five major visa changes to support international students affected by Covid-19:
The Government will recommence granting student visas in all locations lodged outside Australia. This means when borders re-open, students will already have visas and be able to make arrangements to travel
International students will be able to lodge a further student visa application free of charge, if they are unable to complete their studies within their original visa validity due to covid-19
Current student visa holders studying online outside Australia due to Covid-19 will be able to use that study to count towards the Australian study requirements for a post-study work visa
Graduates who held a student visa will be eligible to apply for a post-study work visa outside Australia if they are unable to return due to Covid-19
Additional time will be given for applicants to provide English Language results where Covid-19 has disrupted access to these services
Though all these changes are quite important, the most significant is #3, which states that student visa holders who have taken up online studies will be able to use the duration of their online studies to fulfil post-study work visa requirements. Thus, we encourage more and more students to start studying online without hampering their post-study work visa prospects.
Technologically, Australian universities are at the forefront for offering virtual learning and from the outset of Covid-19, almost all of them have seamlessly transitioned to the online mode of learning. Moreover, many of our students who have enrolled online have given us a very positive feedback about their experience with this mode of learning. We can also assist your potential offer holders to set up a virtual counselling session with university representatives for more clarification on this.
Important benefits of virtual/online learning include:
Study period of online learning will be considered for fulfilling post-study work visa requirements
Students can enrol online with a reduced workload of 1-2 subjects, if they are are not sure of coping with this new mode of online learning
Students can still enrol in August, September, November intakes instead of waiting till 2020 to commence their studies
Australian universities are offering lucrative scholarships/lesser acceptance amount for online studies
Students can either defer or withdraw and claim refund of tuition fee if not happy with online learning.
