The Department of Home Affairs (the Department) continues to improve processes and do its part to support the Australian economy. Here are some recent updates from the Department which you may have missed.
Student visa work rights
The student visa framework has work restriction conditions which permit international students to work for up to 40 hours per fortnight whilst classes are in progress and unlimited hours on semester breaks. As a result of the international border being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Australian businesses struggled to fill casual vacancies particularly in the hospitality industry and in response, the Australian government eased the work restrictions for international students allowing them to work unlimited hours during the semester. However, as the international borders have been open and international students and working holiday makers are returning to Australia, the Australian government is adjusting the student visa work restrictions. From 1 July 2023, international students will be permitted to up for up to 48 hours per fortnight whilst classes are in progress and unlimited hours on semester breaks.
Partner visa processing time
The Department of Home Affairs (the Department) has recently announced that Partner visa applications which have been submitted with all the relevant documents will be processed faster. If you submitted a partner visa application you may receive a phone call from the Department officer, to obtain further information to progress your application. The phone call may come from any processing centre including overseas processing centres as such applicants may expect to receive call outside normal Australian business hours.
To complete your medicals sooner you may also be able to use the My Health Declarations service in ImmiAccount. See Completing the My Health Declarations form (PDF 868KB).
Applicants must be aware of scammers who may impersonate the Department. Please note that the Department officers will identify themselves before asking for further information. To verify that you are speaking to the Department officer, you should the officer to confirm your file number and application lodgement date. You should not pass the following details credit card, banking and immiaccount password details.
Should you have any questions regarding your visa work conditions or Partner visa application, please don’t hesitate to contact our migration lawyers.
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