As many as 56,000 international students and 24,000 backpackers are expected to take advantage of a visa fee refund scheme in the coming months, as part of a federal government bid to lure them back to Australia to help revive the economy and plug critical worker shortages.

Overseas students and backpackers who arrive in Australia will be able to apply for the rebate scheme from Wednesday, which will be worth $630 for students and run for eight weeks and worth $495 for working holidaymakers, running for twelve weeks.

Announcing the measure on Wednesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison pitched the scheme as a “thank you” to students for coming back and “continuing to choose Australia”, and called for backpackers to “come on down”.

“But we also want them to come here and be able to fill some of these critical workforce shortages, particularly those who are working and being trained in healthcare, aged care, those types of sectors, that will be incredibly helpful,” Mr Morrison said.