In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, up to 400,000 foreign students who are now studying in Australia will have the option to work extra hours under a temporary relaxation of visa rules. The extra hours will be offered to students in order to ease crippling labor shortages in the country.
With the increasing cases of Covid-19 cases in the country, Australia is expected to suffer from fuelled labor shortages across several sectors. To prevent the shortage, the UK Government has decided to loosen the visa restrictions for foreign students.
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Under the plan of Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the foreign students will have about their 40-hour-a-fortnight working cap lifted in affected sectors. The announcement for the same was made during a national cabinet meeting with territory leaders on Thursday, January 13, 2022.
As of now, Australia is recording over 100,000 estimated covid-19 positive cases on a daily basis. Referring to the report, the Prime Minister stated that with the increase in covid-19 cases every day, the supply chain and workforce have been suffering from a shortage.
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Australian Student Visa Holders To Fill Worker Shortages
Traditionally, Australia has a 20 hour per week limit for international students when schools are open. However, after evaluating the current pandemic situation, the government has decided to increase the working hours for international students for the time being.
With this decision, various businesses in Australia that are facing worker shortages will now be able to hire international students. Among the recruiting sectors, businesses like home builders were unable to function due to close contact and safety restrictions.
While talking about the visa restriction plan, the Prime Minister said that the plan aims to provide the workforce to businesses even in times of pandemics. “The goal is to get as many people as safely at work in these critical sectors that keep Australia moving,” he said.
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Australian Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt said “Many aged care workers, nurses and other staff have been working at a higher intensity during the pandemic. All Australians are thankful for their efforts, and the Australian government is working to ease that pressure”.
The decision came after various business groups pressed the government to increase the working hours for international students. The situation was presented in front of the territory leaders during the national cabinet meeting.
After hearing the reports submitted by business groups, the government has agreed to increase the working hours restrictions for international students. The work restrictions are further expected to increase from 40 hours a week to 80 hours if the situation remains the same.
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