Australian Immigration Daily News

LIN 23/061

The purpose of the instrument is to amend LIN 22/046 to gradually close the COVID-19 pandemic event 408 visa to new applications from 2 September 2023. This is designed to encourage individuals to apply for a more appropriate visa to meet their individual circumstances.

The COVID-19 pandemic event 408 visa (Pandemic event visa) was introduced in April 2020 to enable temporary migrants to lawfully remain in Australia while the border was closed. It also addressed labour shortages in critical sectors in the local economy. Now that Australia’s borders are open and temporary visa holder numbers in Australia have returned to pre-COVID-19 levels, the Pandemic event visa is no longer required.

Closure of the Pandemic event visa will contribute to a well-managed migration system that better regulates visa pathways and normalises the flow of temporary migrants in and out of Australia. It will help to ensure that people are applying for the right visa that matches the reason for their travel and stay in Australia.

Closure of the Pandemic event visa also bolsters the integrity of Australia’s visa system. Along with employers who seek to utilise the visa to avoid sponsorship obligations, an increasing number of potential migrants have been coming to Australia with the intent of applying for the Pandemic event visa as soon as possible. This is most prevalent in the English language education sector, where international students were withdrawing from courses upon arrival.

Source: LIN23061.pdf and LIN23061-Explanatory-Statement.pdf