Australian govt announces big relief to Indian students amid COVID-19 lockdown

Coronavirus pandemic has created quite a grim situation for the people across the globe. Indian students are facing the backlash of the lethal Covid-19, as some are stuck in India after paying the university fee to study abroad, while some are stuck in foreign countries as coronavirus lockdown is being observed across the globe. Indeed, the hostels are shut, university classes are put on hold. Moreover, students who stay abroad try to bear their hefty expenses by doing some odd jobs to meet their ends. However, due to the lockdown, many students left in a state of astonishment.

Coronavirus has been widespread in almost every country. Therefore, understanding the current situation, the Australian government has announced that those who have completed one year of stay in the country were eligible to access their superannuation. It is a big relief for Indian students who were facing financial hardships during the coronavirus lockdown.

The latest move comes a day after Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that overseas students were not eligible for any financial support as under their visa arrangements, it was a requirement for them to support themselves for a year in Australia.

However, the Acting Immigration Minister Alan Trudge issued a statement, saying



''students who have been here longer than 12 months, who find themselves in financial hardship will be able to access their Australian superannuation.''

"The Government will undertake further engagement with the international education sector who already provide some financial support for international students facing hardship.. for example, we understand there are some education providers that are providing fee discounts to international students," he said.

"As part of their visa application, international students have had to demonstrate that they can support themselves completely in their first year,'' he added.

The government will also be flexible in cases where the pandemic has prevented foreign students in meeting their visa conditions such as not being able to attend classes.

The government also relaxed working hours for international students allowing them to work for up to 40 hours per fortnight from May 1 this year in places like elderly care facilities and major supermarkets, while nurses have had these hours extended to support these critical sectors.

India is the second-largest source of students for Australia with more than 140,000 enrolments recorded in 2019 in the country's several educational institutions.