Hong Kong citizens in Australia offered a visa pathway to remain in Australia for five years
Update: 9 July 2020
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that Hong Kong citizens residing in Australia on student and temporary visas will be eligible to remain in Australia for up to five years with a pathway to apply for permanent residency. The changes announced at the press conference are as follows:
- Students from Hong Kong will be eligible for a five-year temporary graduate visa with a pathway to permanent residency, once they finish their studies.
- Former students in Australia will also be eligible for a five-year visa with a pathway to permanent residency.
- Temporary visa holders from Hong Kong will be offered a five-year visa with a pathway to permanent residency.
- Future applicants from Hong Kong can also apply for a five-year skilled visa with a pathway to permanent residency. This will be subject to meeting additional skills list and labour market testing.
- Incentives for Hong Kong business to move to Australia with pathways to permanent residency for their staff.
As per reports, there are currently 8200 students, 900 graduates and 570 temporary skilled visa holders in Australia from Hong Kong.
We will be following these developments and will provide regular updates, especially once the legislative and policy settings have been finalised.
Contact us
If you would like to obtain migration advice about your visa options, you can call us on 1300 98 70 71 or email us on Skilled.Migration.Service@ames.net.au and speak with a Registered Migration Agent.