Senator Nick McKim
The full letter:
Dear Minister,
I welcome your commitment to consider the plight of existing Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485) visa holders who are stranded overseas due to the border closure.
As you may know, thousands of Subclass 485 visa holders have invested tens of thousands of dollars studying in Australia and are now watching their Subclass 485 visas rapidly run down through no fault of their own, or have already had their visas expire while they were unable to enter Australia.
Many are still paying rent, private health insurance fees and utilities in Australia. Some have become separated from their partners and/or children due to the border closure. And others still have jobs in Australia, with their employers anxiously awaiting their return.
I note that on 9 July 2020 the government automatically extended Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485) visas for Hong Kong passport holders for five years, a move that the Australian Greens wholeheartedly support.
I ask that you grant automatic visa extensions to all existing Subclass 485 visa holders who are stranded offshore due to the Covid-19 border closure. I also ask you to provide automatic visa reinstatements and extensions to people who have had their Subclass 485 visas expire while they were stranded overseas as a result of the pandemic.
More broadly, many different cohorts of visa holders have been affected by the border closure, including people on Skilled—Recognised Graduate visa (Subclass 476); Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (Subclass 489); Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (Subclass 491); Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457); Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482); Student Visa (Subclass 500); Work and Holiday (Subclass 462).
Some have paid thousands of dollars for their visas, waited many years for their visas to be processed, spent thousands of dollars relocating themselves and their families to Australia, have their jobs, home and lives in Australia; and now they are locked out of the country they were calling home before the borders closed. Again, through no fault of their own.
I ask you to use your discretion and extend visas for all other cohorts of time-limited visa holders that are stranded overseas and unable to enter Australia due to the border closure.
Could you please respond to this letter as a matter of urgency.
Yours sincerely
Nick McKim
Australian Greens Senator for Tasmania
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