International students and working holiday makers who arrive in Australia from today will have their visa application fees rebated to encourage more to enter the country.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the changes on Wednesday to help the nation ease workforce shortages caused by the spread of the Omicron variant.
“What we’ll be doing is we will be rebating the visa application fees from all those who arrive today,” he told reporters in Canberra.
Mr Morrison said foreign students working and being trained in health and aged care would, in particular, be “incredibly helpful” as the nation continues to grapple with the pandemic.
The Australian Industry Group also recently backed changes allowing international students to work extra hours saying the visa holders would provide much-needed support to sectors such as transport and hospitality.
