The government has announced that most of its policies like the job seeker and the job keeper payment designed to help alleviate the suffering caused by the lockdown will only apply to Australian permanent residence and citizen.  I hope that we can all reflect on the idea that this lockdown affects everyone in our society. Many international students need to work part-time to keep up with the high cost of living in this country. I have spoken to many clients who are distraught about their lives here in Sydney. Students that have seen their income dwindle to zero and yet their expenses remains the same. I feel a sense of hopelessness from many people that I have spoken to because no one knows when the lockdown will be lifted.  I pray that this lockdown will end soon so that we can all get on with our lives. I feel that maybe in this instance, the cure is worse than the disease.

New parents visa will be rolled out in 2019. Some say it is only for rich migrants because the application cost is astronomical! During the first half of 2019, the government will introduce a new temporary visa for parents of Australian migrants. Under the new scheme, parents of migrants can choose between a three years visa which will cost $5,000 or the five years visa at a whooping $10,000. Parents will only be able to renew this visa just once and there is an annual cap of 15,000 for this particular visa. "This new visa will help family reunite and spend time together" Immigration Minister David Coleman said in a statement. The Minister also added that this visa scheme "will deliver great social benefits to the Australian community" Critics of this new visa have pointed out the high cost of the application and conditions such as limiting the visa to only one set of parents per family will make this visa option unattractive for many migrant families. Another condition that many are talking about is the financial implication on the sponsor. It is stated that the sponsoring children will be legally obliged to pay back any debt incurred by their parents. Sydney Migration Agency will keep you posted about this visa when it become available and give you a critical break down on the rules and requirement for this visa application.