The COVID-19 concession period will cease on 25 November 2023. The former Australian Government implemented temporary measures related to an initial concession period. This was to provide concessions for applicants of certain visa subclasses affected by travel restrictions and which made it difficult for them to meet visa requirements. This included where the applicant must be located at time of application.
The concession period is no longer relevant as all COVID-19 international travel restrictions have been lifted. Travellers to Australia no longer need to:
The impacted visa programs that utilised the initial concession period are:
From 25 November 2023 new nominations for the following visa streams will require Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) holders to have worked in a position with their sponsoring employer, or worked in the occupation for medical practitioners and certain executives, for 2 out of the previous 3 years.
The following COVID-19 concessions will become redundant and will end:
The age exemption for legacy 457 workers in Australia for 12 months during the pandemic from 1 February 2020 to 14 December 2021 will apply for ENS visa applications lodged before 1 July 2024.
The temporary concessions available to holders of eligible skilled provisional visas to apply for the subclass 887 visa are set around the COVID-19 concession period.
The concessions allowed eligible prospective subclass 887 visa applicants to lodge from in or outside Australia during the concession period and to access shorter periods of employment and regional residence requirements.
Applicants can only access the employment requirement concession if they:
The ending of the concession period will end any other concessions for the subclass 887 visa.
After 25 November 2023 eligible skilled provisional visa holders applying for a subclass 887 visa must be in Australia, but not in immigration clearance, when applying.
The COVID-19 concessions removed restrictions on the “location at the time of visa grant“ requirement for certain Family program visa applicants.
Applicants for certain Partner and Child visas who applied before 26 November 2023, and who were in Australia at any time during the concession period, will continue to be eligible to be granted a visa in Australia (if they meet all other visa criteria) after the end of the concession period. The COVID-19
concession arrangements will not apply to Partner and Child applicants who were not in Australia at any time during the COVID-19 concession period.
The COVID-19 concessions for certain Parent visa applicants, only applied during the COVID-19 concession period, from 1 February 2020 to 25 November 2023.
COVID-19 concessions were put in place for the Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) under the:
BIIP applicants who are eligible to exercise COVID-19 concessions to make a valid application can do so for 3 months after the end of the concession period. Applications must be submitted before the end of Monday 26 February 2024.
From 25 November 2023 all applications for any stream of the Temporary Graduate visa (TGV) program must be lodged in Australia. Subsequent entrant applications can be lodged in or outside of Australia. The ability to grant applications to applicants who are either in or outside of Australia (but not in immigration clearance) will continue.
For more detailed information or to discuss these changes further, please do not hesitate to contact our office at ivan@imcmigration.com or silvia@imcmigration.com
Suite 1404, Level 14, 22-24 Market Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
+612 9290 1592
admin@imcmigration.com
