应对疫情,澳洲移民局做了些什么?——澳洲移民局年度报告解读(一)

飞出国:近期移民局官网公布了一份长达50页的年度报告,报告中有提到疫情爆发以来,澳洲移民局所采取的的一系列措施,疫情对移民造成的影响,以及各移民项目实际完成情况等的分析统计数据,飞出国也将一一进行解读。

首先,我们跟随这份报告回顾汇总下澳洲移民局针对疫情有采取哪些措施,以及疫情对澳洲移民所造成的影响。

2020年2月1日,澳洲边境关闭以防疫情的扩散,由于旅行限制的实施,也就导致了签证需求的大幅度下降,在2020-21年度,非人道主义签证的申请递交量就锐减了近600万个,相比过去的一年就是减少了81%。

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后来随着澳政府公布的第二阶段重开边境计划,2021年11月到12月临时签证有所增加,但是与疫情前同期相比还是处于低位水平。而2022年2月7日,澳洲正式宣布从2022年2月21日起全面放开边境,因此,完全接种疫苗的签证持有者,包括旅游签,商务签以及其他访客都可以入境澳洲了。

Since 1 February 2020, based on the advice of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, the Australian Government has implemented travel restrictions and exemptions designed to curb the introduction and spread of COVID-19 in Australia while allowing travel into and out of Australia to continue for essential reasons.

The Department and Australian Border Force (ABF) jointly manage these restrictions, which operate in conjunction with quarantine arrangements managed by state and territory governments. Staff resources have been redirected to activities that support the Government’s response to the pandemic, including supporting the ABF Commissioner’s consideration of requests for travel restriction exemptions.

The pandemic and related travel restrictions significantly reduced demand for most visas. In 2020-21, the number of non-humanitarian visa applications lodged fell by nearly 6 million, or 81 per cent compared to the previous year (see Figure 1). Temporary visa activity began to increase in November and December 2021 following the announcement of the second stage of the Government’s border re-opening plans, but remained below pre-COVID levels.

As announced by the Prime Minister on Monday 7 February, Australia will reopen to all fully vaccinated visa holders, welcoming the return of tourists, business travellers, and other visitors from 21 February 2022.

在澳洲边境关闭期间,境外签证持有者想入境澳洲需要提前申请旅行豁免,其中,澳洲公民,永久居民及其亲直系亲属都是可以直接入境澳洲的。在2020年3月至2021年12月31日期间,移民局受理了超过109万个旅行豁免申请。

为了应对疫情,澳政府也提出了一系列临时签证的安排,包括:

  • 408签证类别下增设疫情事件签证,从而使得工作于健康,老年和残疾护理,儿童保育,农业和食品处理领域的个人以及在澳洲境内无法出境但是又没有其他签证可以申请的个人可以通过申请408签证合法待在澳洲境内
  • 引入PMSOL职业列表,以利于具有紧缺技能的申请人通过雇主担保签证移民澳洲
  • 针对已在澳洲持临签工作,职业是STSOL职业列表上的,但是由于疫情影响导致年龄无法满足雇主担保永久签证的要求,放宽转永居的要求
  • 加强雇主担保签证申请的劳动力市场测试
  • 解除留学生每周不超过20工作小时的限制
  • 解除打工度假签证为同一雇主工作不超过6个月的限制
  • 对于2022年1月19日至2022年3月19日入境澳洲的学生签持有者,以及打工度假签证持有者,报销其签证申请费

同时,对于现有受疫情影响的签证持有者,也有一些新的措施:

  • 对于485毕业生工签持有者,延长有效期至2022年9月30日,同时对于当前在澳洲境外的485签证持有者,可以申请替换签证
  • 2021年10月29日,对于当前在澳洲境外的300未婚夫妻结婚签证持有者,签证有效期延长至2022年12月31日,对于有些受疫情旅行限制影响的300签证持有者,也可以享有申请费退回政策
  • 同时,对于489,491和494签证持有者,也有对应的签证有效期延长政策

The Government has introduced a large number of temporary visa arrangements in response to COVID-19. These arrangements - to support public health measures, protect the health of the community, safeguard jobs for Australians, support critical sectors, and assist with economic recovery - include:

  • the creation of a COVID-19 Pandemic event visa through the Subclass 408 (Temporary Activity) visa to assist to regularise the visa status of individuals in Australia working in critical sectors such as health, aged and disability care, childcare, agriculture and food processing and those who have no other visa options and are unable to depart Australia due to COVID-19 travel limitations
  • the introduction of the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL) to facilitate the migration of people with critical skills through employer sponsored visa programs, from both within Australia and overseas
  • allowing expanded eligibility for permanent residence for certain temporary skilled visa holders who have worked in Australia through the pandemic who have an occupation on the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL), or who no longer meet the age requirements for the permanent Employer Nomination Scheme
  • strengthened labour market testing for employer sponsored visa applications
  • relaxation of the 40 hours per fortnight working hours for international students, initially for those working in critical sectors and extended to all student visa holders on 13 January 2022
  • exempting Working Holiday Makers from the six month work limitation with one employer
  • incentivising students and work and holiday makers to bring forward their travel by providing refunds of the visa application charge if they arrive in Australia within a specified period. For students, this is 19 January 2022 to 19 March 2022, and for working holiday makers, 19 January 2022 to 19 April 2022.

Recent measures to support existing visa holders impacted by COVID-19 include:

  • extending the visas of eligible Temporary Graduate visa holders in Australia to 30 September 2022, and allowing Temporary Graduate visa holders overseas to apply for a replacement visa if they have been unable to travel to Australia
  • on 29 October 2021, extending the visas of certain Prospective Marriage visa holders outside Australia to 31 December 2022. Visa application charge refunds have also been made available to certain Prospective Marriage visa holders impacted by COVID-19 related travel restrictions.

The Government has also responded to the specific impacts of COVID-19 on regional Australia. In addition to measures outlined in previous editions of this paper, the Skilled Regional provisional visas (subclasses 489, 491 & 494) of holders who have been adversely affected by COVID-19 related travel restrictions will be extended.

对应地,为了应对疫情所带来的影响以及移民局所做的应对举措,移民局有60%的非人道主义签证审理人员调配到处理疫情相关的职能部门,这就包括有155个员工从签证审理转移到了旅行豁免处理。

Within Australia, 60 per cent of non-humanitarian visa processing staff capacity has been redirected to COVID-19 related critical functions including COVID-19 border measures, visa processing to support the Government’s COVID-19 priorities or activities to support COVID-19 recovery. This includes the transfer of approximately 155 staff from visa processing and border management roles to travel exemption processing.

随着澳洲边境重开,临时和永居移民将会在澳洲后疫情经济复苏中扮演重要的角色,因为澳洲需要移民解决其技能和劳动力紧缺,同时重检留学和旅游业。澳洲也面临着吸引和留住移民的国际竞争形势,尤其是杰出人才和技术工人,因为其他国家同样也在寻求重建经济和需要人才的路上。

As Australia’s international borders re-open, temporary and permanent migration will play a critical role in our economic recovery from the pandemic with migrants filling growing skill and labour shortages in metropolitan and regional Australia and rebuilding important sectors such as international education and tourism. Australia will face international competition to attract and retain migrants, particularly global talent and skilled workers, as other countries also seek to rebuild their economies and offset the population challenge of an ageing domestic population.