The COVID-19 concession period, providing ease to applicants of certain visa subclasses who faced challenges in meeting requirements due to pandemic-related travel restrictions, came to an end as of 25 November.
As part of the Australian government's reforms to improve the integrity of international education, international students have already encountered restricted work hours. Now they will be further restricted from enrolling in two courses simultaneously during the initial six months of their stay and face increased attendance monitoring.
A new study calls on the federal government to contemplate the introduction of a new temporary stay parent visa, featuring the benefits of multiple entries and a generous 10-year validity period. It also argues that if the government is reluctant to classify parents as 'immediate family', it should abolish permanent parent migration altogether.
A government proposal to increase the working week to 69 hours was put on hold due to widespread protests, but there is concern that it still may get pushed through