The government used a short time frame to prevent a flood of new applications.
The visa was established in 2020 to support international students who were unable to leave Australia during the pandemic and to fill labour shortages created by the closure of international borders. It allowed recipients to work unlimited hours for 12 months,include eligible family members in their application,and travel to or from Australia multiple times during a stay.
Figures released earlier this month by the Department of Home Affairs showed that almost 60,000 international students and temporary workers were using the permit to extend their stay in Australia,even though the conditions that led to its creation no longer existed.
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The department issued 65,859 pandemic visas from June 2022 to March,including almost 27,000 in the first three months of this year.
“The pandemic event visa was an important part of Australia’s visa system during the pandemic,” Giles said.
“Many people on temporary visas helped Australia during this period.