Subclass 408 Covid-19 Pandemic Event Visa – All the Important Info about it

Pandemic coronavirus has taken our world in its grasp for quite a year now. And it’s changed the course of life on this planet completely. Not only it affected the health of the people but also has an impression on many other things like education, social lives, businesses, traveling and whatnot. It’s entirely changed the pattern of our lives. Like every other country on this planet, Australia also suffered from the virus in some ways. Especially the Australian immigration system bore many effects of it. This article is particularly about the visa subclass that’s specially introduced to the pandemic situation and that the visa subclass is subclass 408 Covid-19 pandemic event visa.

If you’re also suffering from the pandemic situation in Australia our registered Migration Agent Parramatta can help you in this situation.

Subclass 408 Covid-19 Pandemic Event Visa
Critical Sectors
Stay Period in Australia with Pandemic Event Visa
Eligibility Criteria for Subclass 408
Processing Fee
Related Articles

Table of Contents

What is the Subclass 408 Covid-19 pandemic event visa?

Australia has taken every measure possible to limit the number of its affected people and a significant measure it took to avoid further spreading of the virus is the travel ban. Australia is observing a strict travel ban for a year now. Thanks to this travel ban, nobody is allowed to enter or exit the country until he or she is exempted from the travel ban.

This example has presented many problems for the people in Australia especially the temporary visa holders. Some temporary visa holder stuck in Australia cannot return to their homelands all due to this travel ban. To facilitate such people and also those who are working in critical sectors in Australia a replacement stream of subclass 408 visa pandemic event visa has been introduced.

SUBCLASS 408 Covid-19 pandemic event visa is granted to those that are working in Australia in critical sectors. Also, it’s for those temporary visa holders whose visas are expiring and that they are unable to return to their countries thanks to the travel ban. If you lie in one such category then this visa can help you prolong your stay in Australia

What are the critical sectors?

The following fields are considered as critical sectors and this Covid-19 pandemic event visa is granted to the people working in any of these fields or sectors:

Agriculture
Food processing
Health care
Aged care
Disability care
Child care

How long can you stay in Australia on this pandemic event visa?

The time granted by this visa depends on the circumstance. It’s different if you are currently working in the critical sector and the time granted by this visa is different for those temporary visa holders whose visas are expiring soon.

Let’s have a look at the time granted by this visa:

Through this visa, the people working within the covid-19 critical sector can stay in Australia for up to 12 months.
People on temporary visa whose visas are expiring and that they cannot exit Australia because of the travel ban can stay in Australia on this visa for up to three months.

Eligibility criteria conditions for Subclass 408 Covid-19 pandemic event visa

Here are the eligibility conditions of this visa:

The applicant must provide proof of working within the critical sector or a solid reason for not exiting Australia because of a travel ban-induced reason.
This visa should be applied online.
The applicants must have ongoing insurance for this visa.
To apply for this visa one must be onshore Australia.

Processing fee of the visa:

One very positive thing about the Subclass 408 Covid-19 pandemic event visa is that its processing is nil. One doesn’t have to pay for getting this visa and it has helped many people on temporary visas in Australia. Coronavirus pandemic is no doubt a very difficult time for all of us living on this planet. But the hopes of everything getting back to normal are high.

So if you are stuck in Australia due to a travel ban or are working in one of the critical sectors you can check your eligibility for this visa by consulting our registered Migration Agent Parramatta today.

Nasir Nawaz

I’m Nasir Nawaz. I’m a registered migration consultant in Australia. I am based in Sydney. I’ve studied Master of Laws at the University of New South Wales. I’m providing immigration services for several years.

Consult with me for legal advice on Australian visas to permanently live, study, and work in Australia.