The occurrence of Covid-19 has left many Australian visa holders with an abrupt financial crisis. That’s why they need support from the Australian government to stay in Australia in a hassle-free manner. The below-given write-up will familiarise you with eligible Australian visa holders entitled to get support from the Australian government.
A look at the Red Cross Safety Net Support
The Red Cross Safety Net Support is a financial scheme introduced by the Australian government. This privilege was announced by the Australian government in light of Covid-19. Now arises the question that who all can avail of this privilege? Australian Visa holders who are currently staying in Australia temporarily can avail of this financial scheme. People who are unable to access Medicare, Centrelink, and pertinent services are also eligible.
Moving ahead
Australian Visa holders who are facing severe hardship in Australia will get this facility. If the visa holder has no savings, earning, or financial backup, then he/she will also be considered eligible. So, eligible applicants should contact the official site of the Red Cross and apply right then. The timely application will lead them to get the said financial backup faster than ever.
Support for visitor visa holders
At present, there is no financial scheme available for visitor visa holders. Conversely, the Australian government has assured financial backup to all its Visitor Visa holders. The only criterion is the person has to hold any of the eligible visitor visas. These include eVisitor 651, ETA visa 601, and visitor visa 600. To the best of suggestions visitor visa holders should contact their respective Australian embassies or consulates to get financial aids.
The reason
This is because the visitor visas don’t allow you to work in Australia. If the visa holders contact their relevant embassies, they will get the financial alms in the best possible manner.
Partner Visa Holders
Temporary Partner Visa holders (309/820) are considered ineligible for the JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments. The same is the case with the applicants of the permanent partner visas (100 and 801 visas). Partner visa holders of subclass 309 and 820 however will get certain financial privileges. This allows them to apply for Centrelink to get a number of advantages on their daily expenses. These include Dad and Partner Pay, Family Tax Benefit, Parental Leave Pay, and Low Income Healthcare Card.
The Australian Government shelves the Waiting Period
To become a permanent resident of your partner visa, you need to meet a certain criterion. This requires you to wait for the following 2 to 4 years to become eligible. Due to the Covid-19 crunch, a slight change has come to this rule. The Australian government has kept this requirement aside for the time being. This has resulted in getting permanent partner visa holders certain facilities instantaneously the moment they arrive in Australia.
The Facilities
The facilities which the permanent partner visa holders are supposed to get are given below.
• Special Benefits and Farm Household Allowance
• Single and Partnered Parenting Payments
• Jobseeker Payments and
• Youth Allowance Payments for Austudy
Australian Visa holders who are getting these facilities will also get special financial aid from the Australian government. This is known as the $550 Coronavirus Supplement. Holders of partner visas can become eligible for Medicare as well. The visa holder can benefit from these facilities only if he/she has applied for a merged visa type. This can either be visa subclass 820/801 or 309/100.
Working Holiday Visa Holders
At present, the various Working Holiday Visa holders are ineligible for any kind of financial assistance from the Australian government. These include Australian visa holders of the working holiday 417 and 462. Presently, around 118,000 people holding the working holiday visas are working in the most critical sectors of Australia. These include aged and disability care, health, agriculture, childcare, and food processing. The good part is these working holiday visa holders can extend their 6 months working period under one employer.
The benefits
This will provide these critical sectors with bountiful of workers to eradicate the plight of Covid-19 as fast as possible. Eligible Australian visa holders are even allowed to continue staying in Australia by applying for another visa. This will let them work in their respective critical sectors effectively unless this deadly virus gets destroyed completely.
Skilled Visa Holders
There different types of options for the Skilled Visa Australia category. These include subclass 491 and 494 and employer-sponsored regional visas. Holders of any of these visas are instinctively eligible for some social security benefits. This is due to the Social Security Act introduced by the Australian government in 1991. An amendment made to this Act entitles provisional skilled regional visa holders for certain social security benefits.
A look at the inclusive Acts
These privileges are included in the Parental Leave Act 2010, New Tax System (Family Assistance Act) 1999. These social security benefits are also included in the Farm Household Act 2014. Provisional skilled regional visa holders are eligible to get the privilege of Medicare. On the contrary, Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa and Temporary Graduate Visa Subclass 485 holders aren’t eligible for any financial backup packages presently.
TSS 482 Visa
At present, the TSS 482 Visa is not eligible to get any sort of financial support from the Australian government. The same rule applies to the Temporary Work 457 visa. Temporary visa holders are however accessible to a sum of $10,000 related to their superannuation account for the year 2020. This is all due to the crisis of Covid-19.
Training and Student Visas
These two visa types again are not eligible for any kind of financial assistance from the Australian government. These include the Student Visa Subclass 500 and 590 and Training Visa 407. Conversely, certain students are permitted to increase their working hours to meet the expenses of essential commodities. These students have to be specifically deployed at the major supermarkets of Australia (Woolworths and Coles to be precise).
To the best of suggestions, you can contact your respective Australia consulate/embassy if you facing a financial crisis for:
• Loss of the current job and
• Reduced working hours.
So, to get more relevant information pertaining to Australian Visa hire a professional Migration Agent Perth today. An Immigration Agent Perth can get you the best help from the Australian government related to your visa.
