INDIA NEWS
Feb 16-28, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 15
Australia welcomes return of international students and backpackers
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anberra, February 3: Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, Alex Hawke MP, today announced strong arrival figures for International Students and Working Holiday Makers, in recent weeks. “Australia is open for business. We are welcoming back increasing numbers of International Students, Backpackers, and Skilled migrants,” Minister Hawke said. “Visa application rates have surged in the last week, since the Government’s announcement of a special Visa Application Charge (VAC) refund window for people who travel and arrive in Australia over the coming weeks,” he said. “We are building back healthy pipelines of Working Holiday Makers, and we are processing these visas very quickly. The Government is seeing a surge in demand from backpackers and we are ready to welcome them to our shores,” he said. “Confidence in Australia’s economic recovery is extremely strong. Unemployment is at record lows, industry and government are providing incentives for workers to come to Australia, and we are ready to meet the demand. We all have a role to play in the economic recovery, filling vital skills shortages, and the Government is providing these incentives to encourage skilled workers to come to Australia now and fulfil these opportunities and participate in the phenomenal economic recovery that we are seeing in Australia right now,” he said. “There are more jobs now available in Australia than before the COVID-19-Pandemic, and there are still many more places available to Backpackers and
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Tamanna Monem wins Female Defence Leader Award
T Students that we are ready to fill, so come on down,” Minister Hawke said. International Students Australia is proud to have welcomed the arrival of almost 7,000 International Students in the last week alone. From 24 to 30 January we have witnessed the strong return of International Students to our shores - with almost 7,000 International students making the journey to Australia ahead of course commencement at Australian campuses right around the nation. Since late November 2020 a total of 56,000 International Students have arrived in Australia. Demand for Australian study visas has been particularly strong, in recent months, with more than 50,000 overseas student visa lodgements since late 2021. Visa grants to International Students are flowing as a result of the Minister directing the Department to allocate additional resources to processing the visas of International Students. Working Holiday Makers There was a 17% increase in the arrival of Working Holiday Makers in the last week. From 24 to 30 January the number of Working Holiday Maker visa (subclass 417 and 462) applications has surged – with 2,600 visa applications lodged by overseas backpackers. A total of 28,000 Working Holiday Maker visas have been approved in the last few months - since the reopening of international borders to fully vaccinated skilled workers, International Students and Working Holiday Makers - in line with the National Plan to safely reopen Australia. The Morrison Government has
signed a number of new and increased Working Holiday Maker arrangements with partner countries, in recent years, with a total of 45 partner countries or regions now participating in the program. Refunds of visa application charges Fully vaccinated International Students and Working Holiday Makers have been encouraged to return to Australia now to support our economic recovery and to commence studies through the launch of a new Visa Application Charge (VAC) refund window for eligible travellers. Working Holiday Maker visa holders (subclasses 417 or 462) who are outside Australia and arrive in Australia between 19 January 2022 and 19 April 2022 are eligible for a VAC refund. Student visa holders who are outside Australia and arrive in Australia between 19 January 2022 and 19 March 2022 are eligible for a VAC refund. Further information about refunds is available online. Attracting more International Students and Working Holiday Makers These initiatives are proudly supported by a new $7 million marketing campaign to attract young people from overseas to work and holiday in Australia. The Work and Play the Aussie Way campaign encourages the uptake of Working Holiday Maker visas in the United Kingdom, Europe, Japan and Republic of Korea, by giving young travellers a glimpse of the adventures that await them while working and travelling Australia. Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) is also running a campaign to attract more international students.
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COMMUNITY NEWS
amanna Monem has been awarded as the Female Defence Leader 2021. This award acknowledges Tamanna’s authentic, innovative and inclusive leadership to drive defence industry projects, over the past few years, leading defence strategy, initiating defence summits, and helping SMEs to get access to defence industry mentoring and defence supply chain opportunities. She was acknowledged as a high performing, innovating and authentic leader in defence industry. Defence Connect’s Australian Defence Industry Award is a peak platform that recognises the comprehensive role of the defence industry as a fundamental input to Australia’s
capability. This esteemed awards program celebrates the achievements and excellence of the industry’s most successful professionals and businesses. Previously, Tamanna has received the Rising Star award and Professional of the Year award for her contributions to help empowering SMEs for defence and her contribution to shaping India Australia trade relationship. Tamanna is leading strategy and partnerships at the Queensland AI Hub. She is a board member of Australian AI Collective. Tamanna is Women in Business Qld Chair and National Advisor for Export and Investment at Australia India Business Council (AIBC).
Australia reopening to tourists and other international travellers from Feb 21
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ustralia will reopen to all fully vaccinated visa holders, welcoming the return of tourists, business travellers, and other visitors from 21 February. These changes will ensure we protect the health of Australians, while we continue to secure our economic recovery. Australia’s health system has demonstrated its resilience throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, including though the recent Omicron wave. With improving health conditions, including a recent 23 per cent decline in hospitalisations due to COVID, the National Security Committee of Cabinet today agreed Australia is ready to further progress the staged reopening of our international border. Visa holders who are not fully vaccinated will still require a valid travel exemption to enter Australia, and will be subject to
state and territory quarantine requirements.
Today’s announcement will give certainty to our vital tourism industry, and allow them to start planning, hiring and preparing for our reopening. In 2018-19, tourism generated more than $60 billion for the Australian economy, with more than 660,000 jobs dependent on the industry. Since the Morrison Government commenced Australia’s staged international border reopening on 1 November 2021 we have seen almost 580,000 arrivals come to Australia including to reunite with loved ones, work or study. The Commonwealth continues to work with States and Territories on the safe resumption of the cruise industry and looks forward to further announcements on this in due course. Press release from PM Scott Morrison MP
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