JobKeeper and JobSeeker Allowances
Job Temporary visa holders are not generally eligible for either JobSeeker or JobKeeper allowances or any other form of government payment.
The JobKeeper payment is available for New Zealand citizens in Australia (holding a protected or non-protected subclass 444 Special Category Visa).
New Zealand citizens who arrived in Australia before 26 February 2001 are eligible to access Australian welfare payments, in addition to the JobKeeper payment.
You should check your eligibility using this website:
Access to superannuation for temporary visa holders.
As of 4 April 2020, sponsored temporary visa holders will be able to withdraw $10,000 from their superannuation for this financial year. Students who have been in Australia for longer than 12 months who find themselves in financial hardship will also be able to access their Australian superannuation.
COVID related visa with work rights.
The Australian Government has introduced the Temporary Activity (subclass 408 Australian Government Endorsed Event (AGEE) stream) visa during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a free visa that can be granted for a period of between 6 to 12 months.
Temporary visa holders in Australia may be eligible for this visa if the following can demonstrated:
- your visa is about to expire (in the next 28 days) or your visa has already expired;
- you are unable to apply for any other temporary visa, other than this 408 visa;
- you can’t leave Australia;
- you are currently working in a critical sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, like agriculture, food processing, health care, aged care, disability care and child care; and
- it can be demonstrated that an Australian citizen or Permanent Resident cannot fill the position.
