In a bid to address ongoing worker shortages, the Australian government has announced that about 20,000 skilled visa holders who stayed in Australia during the pandemic will be eligible for permanent residency, reports the Australia Financial Review. The main winners from the temporary concession, which affects primary holders of the temporary skill shortage visa and holders of the now-discontinued 457 visa, will be workers employed in the health and hospitality industries, who make up one-fifth of the potential pool of new permanent residents. Separately, Education Minister Alan Tudge and Immigration Minister Alex Hawke have agreed on changes that will allow 30,000 students whose visas have expired after 1 February 2020 to reapply for a new 485 visa of the same duration as their original one. Graduates of masters by coursework programs, who numbered 170,000 pre-pandemic, will also be able to stay on to work for three years instead of two and vocational education graduates will be eligible for a two-year temporary visa. Students will have their time spent studying offshore recognised when applying for a 485 visa. The government has been under intense pressure from business groups to bring international students back onshore as they provide a large workforce for hospitality and retail jobs.

The most recent student data shows that there are 200,000 fewer international students enrolled in August 2021 than two years earlier. The hardest-hit sector is the English-language or ELICOS sector, which has been hit by a 71% decline in enrolments over that time frame. Tudge is expected to release the government’s 10-year international education strategy on Thursday afternoon.