408 Visa: Temporary Activity Visa – Subclass 408 Pandemic Event Stream

The Covid-19 pandemic event visa was introduced by the Australian Government in March 2020 in response to the global Coronavirus pandemic.

It enables people currently in Australia to extend their time here. It has been available for over eighteen months now and there are no signs of it being phased out.

If you hold a Covid-19 pandemic event visa and it’s due to expire, you can apply for another one.

Covid-19 pandemic event visa stream

To meet requirements, you must:

• Be in Australia
• Hold a visa that expires within 90 days OR have held a visa that expired no more than 28 days ago. Different bridging visas will apply, depending on when you lodge the 408 visa
• Maintain suitable health insurance
• Meet character requirements
• Have complied with conditions of previous visas
• Show why you do not meet the requirements of other temporary visas
• Demonstrate that you have ongoing work (or an offer of ongoing work) – if you’re seeking work rights

Critical Sectors

In May 2021, it was announced that temporary visa holders, such as working holiday makers can apply for a Covid-19 408 visa and secure up to 12 months of work rights if employed in the tourism and hospitality sector.

Hospitality and tourism were added to other sectors deemed critical including food processing, health care, aged care, disability care and child care.

There is no definitive list of essential industries or jobs. Visa holders working in ongoing positions (or with skills applicable to an ongoing, operating industries that have NOT been deemed as “non-essential”) are likely to qualify for a 408 visa with work rights.

408 Work Conditions

You can only work in the occupation stated in your 408 application and only for the nominated employer. However, if you obtain permission from Immigration, you can work for a different employer(s) in any critical sector occupation, or work for multiple employers – provided at least one employer is in a critical sector.

Partner Work Rights

If you’re granted a 408 visa with work rights, your partner will receive the same work rights.

Your partner is not tied to any one employer or occupation.

No Work Rights

If you are not seeking work rights you can still lodge and be granted a 408 visa.

Visa Fee

There is no Government charge for this visa type. True Blue Migration Services can manage your application for you for a low cost. Over the last eighteen months, we have managed hundreds of 408 applications and have a 100% success rate for this visa subclass.

Visa refusal

If your visa is refused, you will have 21 days to lodge an appeal through the AAT. The appeal cost is $3,000. At the current time, 408 appeals take 612 days to be assigned to the AAT for assessment. You would remain in Australia during the processing time of the AAT.