Hi all,
Asking for a friend here, she is not an Australian but she is living here under a working visa as a baker. She's at risk of losing her job and she is worried about keeping up with her rent so thought i'll ask here.
What options are available if a non resident loses their job due to the current situation? Can Centrelink provide any support at all?
thanks
@bobz79: They already have, check Ecuador in that link.
"From March 16, borders were completely closed, including to citizens and residents, for 21 days."
This would seem like the smartest approach.
Not so easy, many students aren't from places with direct flights like the thousands of Colombians. Not to mention the cost right now of getting a flight right now.
Yep, I know a lot of Colombians in this situation.
Makes sense. The best place to be right now is with your families so everyone can collectively support one another.
Incorrect, some countries have closed their borders, even for their own citizens.
I don't know about this particular visa type but I do know that universities and other educational providers do not want a mass exodus of international students. They are one of the biggest contributors to the economy. While they are in the country, they are still expected to pay full tuition fees despite no longer "having access to institution facilities and learning environment as well as the overall experience of being on campus, interacting with professors and other students and forging a sense of community."
The answers to your questions are all here………..
https://www.dss.gov.au/about-the-department/international/po…
They could check with their consulate for assistance.
Their government. Not ours.
🚨🚨🚨*** COVID-19 STUDENT ASSISTANCE *** 🚨🚨🚨
The Murdoch Guild President has been working to ensure the students’ welfare, educational and financial needs are met during the COVID-19 pandemic. Murdoch Guild and Murdoch University will be rolling out a Student Support Package which includes:
👉 Access to a $2 million Student Assistance Fund for students severely affected by COVID-19 but ineligible for Commonwealth Government support.
👉 A Technology Bursary for all students equivalent to a $100 data pack to support online learning.
👉 A pool of laptops for those without access to IT equipment.
👉 Free parking for the duration of online teaching, as well as parking refunds (see previous posts).
👉 International Students get a bursary of $25 per week to reduce food bills.
👉 An Academic Safety Net, whereby if students fail, it will not be recorded on their academic transcript or affect their GPA.
👉 Grocery care packages for struggling students.
That's very nice ! At least one university is giving back to their cash cows during this tough time.
At least this uni is doing something.
Other Uni are simply transitioning to the Online Course with same fees and no help for their students.
Probably next semester they want all of their students to pay the full price as well.
I can see International students and all these Uni and colleges relying so much on International students will go down and will start to close
👉 An Academic Safety Net, whereby if students fail, it will not be recorded on their academic transcript or affect their GPA.
Jeez, where was this when I was at uni? Lol
No it shouldn't.
If a so-called "education institute" is only there to serve international students, it's merely being run as a business venture (rather than providing a public service). If one cannot survive a temporary business downturn, that is just part of the risk of doing business.
It contributed 34B to the economy last year. I do hope schools will close and students will no longer come over. Trust me, it will have a big impact in the education sector).
yeah for sure.
Other thing is non-citizens and peope holding temporary visa and international students are big part of many businesses.
Those business will also struggle to get staff.
Impact will be much more bigger.
With the current scenario, its pretty sure very less amount of people will cover over
There are plenty of Australians who need jobs.
@Love a bargain: and there will be plenty more Aussies out of a job when the International students take their $34 billions contribution elsewhere.
@[Deactivated]: You're making it sounds like they're the only thing propping up our economy. If that was the case, this "crisis" is showing us that this is not a strategy and we should diversify.
& you're also assuming that all of them will leave and no one else will come and take their place - which is a big call
You're making it sounds like they're the only thing propping up our economy.
what are our other exports at the moment?
& you're also assuming that all of them will leave and no one else will come and take their place - which is a big call
Not all of them but the vast majority would. I doubt they are currently processing new student visas at the moment.
@[Deactivated]: The Australian economy is more than selling education to foreign students.
What's happening in this exact moment in time is only a blip in the whole scheme of things. Take tourism for examples. Surely that's pretty much non-existent right now but no one is suggesting that tourists won't be back when all of this finally blows over.
Student goes, student comes. That's the nature of the education industry. With the current travel restrictions, of course they're not processing any new student visas right now. There is nothing stopping them from returning to finish their course later or for others to take their place.
…shortage in workforce..? Have you seen the latest Centrelink numbers of people losing their job?
If she loses her job she can stroll into a border force office and let them know her visa has expired and she can get accommodation & food in detention and free flight home when available
She will not be able to come back to complete her education.
The flight home has to be repaid when the person goes back to their own country
Non residents/citizens don't have, and shouldn't have any access to tax payer money. To even suggest they should is ridiculous.
what about the tax money they paid every year?
What about it? How many years do you think they’ve been here if they’re on a working visa? You think 1 year of work entitles them unlimited health care and dole payments?
Nobody asked for unlimited health care or dole payments.
There are heaps of renter who are non-citizens.
If these people run out of money and cannot pay rent, they will definitely need to go back as they no longer can sustain themselves.
If they go back, rental properties will be empty and most of the landlord will lose their money to pay up for their mortgages.
If government can only freeze rent, mortgages and bank interest for couple of months, citizens or not, everyone will at least sustain.
Correct me if I am wrong and if its wrong to ask this
@fantoo: Do you mean if these non-citizens run out of money and cannot pay rent, then they go back, rentaly properties would sit empty, and therefore landlords can't afford to pay the repayments on their investment property, then there will be a selloff, then millennials would be able to find an affordable property?
What a disgraceful scenario
Must use taxpayer funds to save everyone!
Bites on a smash avo on toast
/s
@fantoo: They have access to roads, polices are patrolling the street and many more other public facilities, who paid for it again? Our taxes and their taxes
How many years should qualify in your oppinion? My partner is currently waiting on her PR and has been here over 5 years working and paying tax her entire working life which more than most Australians I know, including myself at the same age.
@SkMed: I think the line in the sand is pretty clear. When she gets PR she gets some rights. When she gets citizenship she gets all of them. Until then she’s not entitled to anything.
@SkMed: no offense dude but if she has been here over 5 years why is she now only in the PR stage? my partner is at the getting citizenship stage after 5 years (just got approved last week). basically the years is not a important, it is going through the commitment to become a citizen, my wife doesn't qualify for anything much either (except medicare, but we have full private).
@gromit: Partner visa usually go Bridging Visa (which takes 18 months to get Temporary) then when you get TR it is another 2 years to get PR.
That is 3 - 4 years already. The from PR to citizenship is another 5 years.
Convoluted but you can thank the minority that was doing fake marriages (offering $50k per person) for doing that.
@netjock: NO PR to citizen is NOT another 5 years, your time on a temp counts, this is exactly the process my wife went through. basically you need 4 years in Australia (including time on temp/partner visa)
@gromit: Point is you can still be here for 5 years and not be citizen. Would you stop hitting people over the head and stick to the point.
@netjock: not hitting people over the head, they have been here more than 5 years and are not even a resident. The process is clear as are the timelines. All I am saying is you can't expect much help from the government when you haven't made enough effort yourself.
@gromit: Nobody knew that coronavirus was coming. There will be stories of the lucky ones who got their citizenship last month, lost their job this month and got assistance vs those who can't get citizenship for another 6 months.
@netjock: yes my wife likely won't get citizenship for a good 6 months now as I doubt many ceremonies will happen (not a full citizen till you attend the ceremony). The point being he asked how many years? the answer is a minimum of 4 plus the time to get citizenship approved and ceremony attended, so 5 years all up is a good approx, after that how long it takes depends entirely on the individual.
It would be nice if the government was perhaps a little lenient around the edges on this due to the crisis, but the reality is it is very well defined.
PS: and yes my wife is also losing a lot of money around this due to the fact she is self employed working with events and parties of which every event for the next 2 months she had scheduled work for is now cancelled. fortunately my work is unaffected so the hit to our finances is not catastrophic.
@gromit: We only started the process for PR about 3 years ago, we met while she was over here and she never planned on staying/living here until we met. Currently waiting on the PR but that waiting time might be extended now, There are waiting times involved for PR via partner visa which are longer then when you just go and get married for the visa, we aren't married.
@gromit: FYI, here is the page which shows the processing times for visa's. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-li…
The processing time for 90 percent of applicants to get their 820 visa is 31 months.
Then you need to wait another 2 years until you can apply for the 801.
Then the 801 processing time is another 22 months.
Then you need to wait another 4 years until you can become an AU Citizen!
So not really sure how your partner is already getting her PR after only 5 years as it usually takes roughly 10 years to become a citizen. unless you are on some other visa?
@SkMed: Visa times have blown out significantly then. But fyi you don't need to wait an additional 4 years for citizenship. Time on partner visa counts. Perm visa took about 6 months processing for us, temp was about 18 months. She would have had citizenship last year but took 6 months to get some official doc from her home country.
Also those really are worst case times you quoted, unless your partner is in high risk category or country or u used one of those dodgy visa agents then you should not be waiting anywhere near that length of time.
@SkMed: Come to Australia and working here is a privilege. They pay for that privilege by paying taxes.
If you are a guest in Australia you are not 'entitled' to anything. However there are plenty of resident shared benefits that guests have, like parks, gardens, roads, public transport, access to schools and universities, access to emergency healthcare, competent service providers, legal rights, etc, so hard to argue that you don't get anything for tax paid. On top of that, still eligible for any benefits provided in passport country. COVID19 is extraordinary event, we all have a responsibility to help each other.
Hardly a "guest" as we are not putting them up for free.
That said unfortunately we can't be paying for everyone who is fortunately to be stuck here. But the government should be working on some mechanism to be able to charge back (netting) cost of temporary assistance to foreign citizens.
Given the calibre of people in politics unfortunately it isn't going to happen quickly
What about the public services they use?
So for "tax" purposes they are considered residents and we bleed them dry but can't help them in these dire circumstances?
On the other hand, it is perfectly acceptable to have an ungrateful twat who has been jobless since ever, to live off tax payers money?
I'm sorry but this system is (profanity) and stupid.
No. Dole bludgers are much worse. Don’t misinterpret what I’m saying. I’ve got no problem with non resident workers, but I can’t stand the entitlement surrounding this idea that our government should look after them. If they’re in financial distress, they should go home and be looked after by their own government. I strongly objected to the government handouts last week, which appear to be little more than a token gesture to quell civil unrest . I’d much rather hard working people like me got a taste of that pie.
It is what you do to people who don't get a vote. Milk them.
Politicians are only care about a tiny swing that will get them into power and a mention in the history books. Don't don't really care about the people. Only a very few have ever cared about the people.
Why is politics still a profession I have no idea.
It the United States, there is a lot of conflict over entitlements of "illegal aliens" such as their ability to get driver's licences in certain states. At least the people we are discussing here in Australia have legally entered the country and attempted to support themselves, unlike boat people who just parasitically attach themselves to the welfare state.
Yes and they know the rules when they enter. They can’t expect a change of rules. If they want welfare, they can go back to their country of origin. If someone has been in this country for years and not applied for PR or citizenship, that’s on them.
When I was in the UK I knew that I had to support myself as a foreigner
No health Insurance or super so had to make provisions or accept the risk. I
It’s not great at a social level but the entitlement isn’t earnt ;otherwise everyone could go to any country and get welfare despite no long term contribution
Welfare is people’s tax money returning to people in need
The reciprocal arrangements have to be put in place
You do get reciprocal health care in the UK if you’re an Australian citizen.
Yep which I did use!
Welfare I didn’t get though
Anyways I hear the government are now offering a special welfare for foreigners who have lost their jobs 👍🏽👍🏽
You didn’t deserve welfare.
everyone on a working visa gets healthcare in the UK,not just Australians.
The world has changed. If they can't support themselves it's time to return to ROC. Perhaps you haven't seen all of our citizens returning here from all over.
I used to be an international student and completely understand the struggles your friend is facing. Unfortunately I don’t think the Aus gov’t would be able to provide support however their institution can and i know some schools are doing it like providing groceries etc. My sister teaches at WSU and they are worried now because a lot of int’l students haven’t come back yet due to travel restrictions. Last year, int’l students contribute 34B $ to the Aus economy. I really hope they would look after the students too.
likely not.
They will look after themselves first.
However, this will impact a lot to them, economy and work force as well
NO! Even though she pays tax which goes towards Centrelink payments she will not. It’s like paying for an insurance policy you can NEVER get paid out on. If she was in NZ she would be looked after the same as Australians are but not with this government. All non Australians are no better off than boat people on this one. NZ has amended its regulations to help everybody who has lost a job. AND they are being paid already unlike many Australians.
And they are fools if they are doing that.
No they are being human and compassionate. If that makes a fool then I want to be one too.
last I checked NZ required a minimum of 2 years residency before you qualify for benefits. has that changed?
I don’t know where you got that information from. It sounds like urban legend - no offence. NZ citizens can get Medicare on day one if they can prove they are moving to Australia to live. The reason presumably is because they will be paying the Medicare levy. The trans Tasman social security agreement provides equal rights in both countries for most things and also qualification for retirement super but when it comes to unemployment the Australian Government changed their side of the agreement in 2000 along with the path to residency and citizenship that went with it in a bid to get votes from their voting base. This was based on the lie that NZers were simply moving to Australia to go on the dole A which was proliferated and still is by calling NZers dole bludgers - Karl Stephanovic was pulled up on this on TV a few years ago. This myth has been busted over and over but because of this urban myth no politicians have been gutsy enough to put it back in place. According to the 2016 census NZers produce more per person to the Australian economy than Australians do. NZ still honours the original agreement in FULL. To get residency or citizenship in Australia NZers have as much rights as boat people with the exception of some on higher incomes for over 5 years.
I meant non Australian or New Zealand citizens. The OP seemed to be implying NZ helps everyone, they most definitely do not and have qualification periods for residency to receive benefits. yes Australia does seem to not be treating NZ citizens equally which is a bit crap.
@gromit: Anybody that was working in NZ is having their wages replaced with a government subsidy as if they were NZ citizens. The reason for this is so that the workforce is there to pick up the economy when things improve.
@MontyMacaw: ok that is a nice change, certainly doesn't seem to be reflected on the covid nz website of the social security site though
Greed greed greed. All this working visa people come to work in Australia because the wages is higher here. They have to toughen it out.
And you think australia will be great without us? Open your eyes! Look everywhere!
You convicts live off welfare payments. Who are you fooling mate?
Look around you…who do you think is running the economy?
Accusing others of living on welfare while insisting that you yourself should be getting welfare is beyond hysterical. Just LOL
Firstly, I don't need welfare.
Secondly, when did I say I want payments?
I thought convicts were taught basic English….
@Pudina Chutney: well this thread is about whether or not migrants should get welfare, and you responded to someone who made a comment against migrants receiving welfare.
I can only assume you're in support of welfare for migrants, which is ironic given you just flamed another group of people for receiving welfare.
Perhaps you're not receiving welfare because you have no respect for the financiql independence of this country.
According to yesterday’s Age, many of the international students are prostitutes. Sure they declare that income to ATO
IS simply another pathway to migration, overcrowded schools, hospitals, roads etc
You are well informed. You must be one of the fat clients looking for massage with happy ending :)
Hey don't talk about me like that. It's not nice.
Many Australians are also prostitutes. They'd sell our private hospitals to Cayman Islands.
Prostitution comes in may different forms for money
Do you remember what the article was?
I agree that international students use "study" as a pathway to live here.
Marry her…
My partner is a non-resident and is elligable. However she is on the 820 visa waiting on the 801 permanent resident visa and been working here fro about 5 years, so the circumstances are a little different.
Centerlink told us she is elligable for assistance even though most of the info we found online indicated she wasnt. Point is, you should check with Centrelink as the info online is difficult to understand and ambigious, plus rules seem to be changing daily.
NO…. go home… your own country has welfare for you.
Go Home…. that is your country…. not Australia. You only came to work… and then Go Home
No Australian taxpayers should not be supporting non-citizens. We have enough problems as it is. Time for foreigners to go home.
Yes we do have enough problems. But if we send all foreigners home we'll be adding to those problems, including punching a $32 billion hole in our education sector - that's double the size of the federal government's 12th March stimulus package, which is only a one time boost. The $32 billion we could lose in education revenue we get from international students every year.
Australian people don't care. They just think we're the luckiest country on earth (while we're hollowing out from the inside as we consume and take on more personal debt founded from foreign creditors).
We have enough problems as it is
Agreed! Cashed up Bogans hanging out at the beach in crowds when strictly told to stay home.
I have lots of friends on working holiday, student and graduate visas. I don't think the Australian government should give them income support at this time.
Sadly, I have heard of many instances where foreign students don't have any cash because they regularly send cash to their families back home.
I'd be supportive of them having tax breaks etc so that any tax they've paid year to date could be refunded and access to super could be granted. But aside from that, you really need to go home if you don't think you can survive here for a few months without a job.
Next, someone might ask why they don’t have voting rights too…
@OP:Not to generalize every international student, but I will leave this here and here is my stance on anyone whether it is a citizen or not!
I sympathize with International students who work hard, but it is unfair to ask for the assistance from the Govt. This is coming from someone who came here as an International student during the 2008 GFC.
Internationals are one the most that pump alot into Aussie economy, so I think we should try treat them as equal as possible, otherwise the place is just become a wasteland with nothing left to offer
You can see the simple hate comments with no consideration are done by the dumbest racist ones
If only there was a way to subsidize things for the international students or temp residents based on the taxes they paid in this time of need!
That would resolve the issue I have with the example I provided along with taking care of the hard working ones.
What most people who make hate comments dont understand is how the govt has made the education industry a business with international students over the last decade.
I don't think any country can close border to own Citizens. But they can ban all flights etc (eg: India), which affects citizens returning back too!
Coronavirus: Travel restrictions, border shutdowns by country
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/coronavirus-travel-re…