International travel appears to be back for good after years of delays and bans (touch wood, obvs). Australia, which has been very stringent with overseas tourists during the pandemic, has stated that it wants to entice some of them back.
The Australian government has announced a new visa-refund plan to aid in the recovery of the country’s tourism industry. International students and working holidaymakers, sometimes known as backpackers, can now claim back the cost of their visas as of Monday (January 19).
The A$630 (£333, $455) student visa and the A$495 (£262, $358) backpacker visa will also be compensated as a result of the new policies.
🇦🇺's intl border is open again to 🇮🇩 students – including @AustraliaAwards scholars.
— Penny Williams (@DubesAustralia) January 28, 2022
Student visa holders travelling to 🇦🇺 between 19 Jan-19 March 2022 are also eligible for a refund of their visa application charge!
For more information visit: https://t.co/8lvNodpCxM pic.twitter.com/mNwEhlBXAV
For students, the new policy will last eight weeks, while for working vacationers, it would last twelve weeks. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the scheme is likely to be used by up to 56,000 international students and 24,000 backpackers in the coming months.
The scheme’s goal is to revitalise parts of Australia’s economy that rely on low-skilled foreign labour.
Agricultural businesses (especially fruit-picking) and supermarkets are in desperate need of workers, but Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is open to anyone with experience in healthcare or senior care.
Since December, certain groups of travellers have been allowed to travel to Australia if they are completely vaccinated. However, this new strategy is distinct in that, rather than simply easing limits, it actively encourages increased travel. Hopefully, this will be followed by many other countries around the world.
In short, your Aussie travel aspirations are back on track: in no time, you could be trekking across the outback or nerding out in one of Australia’s world-class academic institutions.
 student visa and the A$495 (£262, $358) backpacker visa will also be compensated as a result of the new policies.){kind=link}