Australia will give economic incentives to foreign students and temporary workers

Australia hopes with this measure to attract some 23,500 backpackers who have already submitted their visa applications.

The Australian Government announced this Wednesday incentives for foreign students and temporary workers in order to face the labor shortage as a result of the resurgence of covid-19 infections.

“We want them to come to Australia and have a holiday, move around the country, and at the same time join our workforce,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told a news conference in Canberra.

Among the incentives is the reimbursement of the “holiday and work” visa, which allows foreigners up to 35 years of age to have temporary jobs during their stay, of 495 Australian dollars (356 dollars or 314 euros), equivalent to the cost of the request to enter the country.

The holders of this visa can claim the subscription from today and for the next twelve weeks.

Australia hopes with this measure to attract some 23,500 backpackers who have already submitted their visa applications to engage in work in rural areas of the country, where there is a lack of labor in the agricultural sector, among others.

Morrison also announced that he will reimburse the cost of the student visa, which is 630 Australian dollars (about 453 dollars or 400 euros), while 150,000 holders of this immigration permit are expected to enter the country in the next eight weeks.

Foreign students not only inject money directly and indirectly into the economy, which has educational services as one of its export stars, but they also work in various jobs such as waiters, child or elderly caregivers, bricklayers, food deliverers, etc. among others.

“We also want them to come here and be able to fill some of these labor shortages, especially those who are working and training in the field of health, elderly care or these types of sectors, which will be incredibly useful,” he said. the president, who admitted today that he did not know how “severe” the impact of the omicron variant could be in the country.

Morrison also announced that he will allocate three million Australian dollars (2.16 million dollars or 1.9 million euros) to promote a campaign to attract the arrival of backpackers and foreign students.

Australia, which is experiencing a strong outbreak in infected and deceased by covid-19, faces a crisis in the supply chain due to the irruption of the omicron.

Since the start of the pandemic, the country has accumulated more than 1.5 million infections, 80% of cases in the last month, and more than 2,700 deaths since the start of the pandemic.