Aged care providers will temporarily be able to offer more hours to international students to ensure the care of senior and vulnerable Australians to combat the impact of coronavirus.
The announcement from Wed 18 March 2020 expands existing temporary arrangements relaxing student visa work conditions to the aged care sector, applying to both residential and home care.
“Many international students already work in the aged care sector but are restricted to 40 hours a fortnight. We're relaxing those limits to help fill the temporary staff shortages.”
“This follows similar concessions to major supermarkets to keep shelves stocked with essential items.”
“We will continue to listen to businesses as the coronavirus situation develops and may consider expanding these measures to assist other sectors if and when required.”
Says The Hon Alan Tudge MP Acting Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs in a media release from Wednesday, 18 March 2020.