A 25-year-old Italian carpenter, whom we are calling Giacomo in this feature, came to Australia on a Working Holiday Visa in 2018 and then got a student visa.
Later, he found an employer who sponsored him for a Temporary Skill Shortage visa.
Once he submitted his application for his 482 Visa, he received Bridging Visa A. But things didn’t go as planned.
“I applied for a sponsorship visa in November 2019, but then I entered in a bridging visa for the sponsorship. In May, when COVID arrived, I lost my job, so I didn’t have any more sponsorship.”
The Department of Home Affairs sent Giacomo a notice saying that he had 35 days to withdraw his 482 Visa application and apply for another visa or leave the country.
He then applied for a visitor visa with the help of a migration agent, but it was refused because the application was made more than 28 days after the expiry of his student visa, which was the last substantive visa he held. He has appealed the decision.
Emanuela Canini, a migration agent at Migration World, says most people in Australia are here legally on some sort of visa. However, sometimes she also sees clients who have let their visa expire.
Click on the player above to listen to the settlement guide in Punjabi.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 meters away from others.
