Subclass 408 COVID-19 visa holders and their work rights
The Australian Department of Home Affairs has made no decision at this stage to stop accepting new applications or ceasing to grant the SC 408 COVID-19 visa.
In terms of visa holders, a criterion for the grant of this 408 Covid-19 visa is that applicants seek to remain in Australia to undertake work directly associated with an event. The current legislation sets out the classes of persons who are eligible, which includes those working in a critical sector, who are generally granted a 12-month visa, and those who are not working in a critical sector but unable to depart Australia, who are normally granted a 3-month stay.
408 Covid-19 Visa holders granted for 12 months to work in a critical sector should continue to work in a critical sector to comply with their visa conditions or make arrangements to depart Australia.
Critical sector visa holders are permitted to:
- Change employment as long as they stay employed in a critical sector
- Work for more than one employer in one or more critical sectors
- Work for more than one employer, as long as their primary employment is in a critical sector
408 Covid-19 Visa holders not working in a critical sector with a 3-month stay in Australia also have work rights, noting that they are granted this visa to provide them with more time to depart Australia.
These visa holders may change employment and work for more than one employer. Please note that visa holders’ claims that they cannot depart Australia may be scrutinised on subsequent COVID-19 Pandemic event visa applications.
Source: MIA news
