Australia is set to reopen its borders as planned on Wednesday 15 December to eligible visa holders, including international students, skilled migrants, humanitarian, working holiday makers and provisional family visa holders. The easing of restrictions means that fully vaccinated eligible visa holders will no longer be required to secure an exemption to travel into theRead more
Category: Covid19
Queensland has reopened its borders after months of lockdown
After months of lockdown Queensland reopened its borders at 1am today, Monday 13 December. Fully vaccinated people will be able to travel to Queensland without quarantining under certain conditions. This is the Queensland roadmap to easing restrictions: Domestic arrivals Travellers from interstate hotspots can arrive by road or air. They must be fully vaccinated. TheyRead more
Bridging visas – not eligible for waiver of travel exemption
Since the announcement by the government that certain visa holders are now eligible to travel to Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption, there has been a lot of confusion surrounding which visas this applies to. It is important to note that only specified substantive visa holders are eligible. This means that ifRead more
Australia’s easing of border restrictions delayed because of Omicron Covid variant
Australia was due to reopen to international students, skilled migrants, humanitarian, working holiday maker and provisional family visa holders from December 1. The reopening has now been delayed to December 15. The temporary delay will ensure Australia can gather the information needed to better understand the Omicron variant, including the efficacy of the vaccine, theRead more
Visa changes to support the reopening of Australia and its economic recovery
The government is making changes to the migration programs to support the reopening of Australia and assist its economic recovery. These changes include pathways to PR for STSOL visa holders, extended visas for skilled regional (provisional visa) holders, extended visa application charge waivers for new visitor visa applicants overseas, and increasing the length of stayRead more
Eligible visa holders no longer need travel exemptions to enter Australia
Australia continues to take further steps to safely reopen to the world, allowing fully vaccinated eligible visa holders to travel to Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption from 1 December 2021. Eligible visa holders include skilled and student cohorts, as well as humanitarian, working holiday maker and provisional family visa holders. TheRead more
Section 48 bar lifted for some onshore skilled visa applications
Effective from the 13th of November 2021, the section 48 bar will be lifted for three skilled migration visas. The aim is to minimise the impact of COVID-19 on onshore applicants who have had visas refused or cancelled, and are prevented from leaving Australia due to travel restrictions. Many visa applicants subject to section 48 barRead more
Additional Engineering Occupations added to South Australia’s Skilled Occupation List
To manage South Australia’s COVID recovery response, an additional 24 Engineering occupations will be open to applicants currently residing offshore from Tuesday 2 November 2021. The minimum requirements for state nomination for these occupations include: You must have at least eight years work experience in the nominated or closely related occupation You must demonstrate a SuperiorRead more
Travel freedoms for fully vaccinated Australians and permanent residents
From 1 November 2021, Australian citizens and permanent residents aged 12 and over who have received two doses of an approved or recognised vaccine will be able to leave Australia without needing an outwards travel exemption. Children under 12, and those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, will also be able to travel overseas without anRead more
No quarantine for fully vaccinated travellers entering NSW
Quarantine will no longer be necessary for fully vaccinated international arrivals entering New South Wales from 1st November 2021. The aim of the decision is to allow Australians stranded abroad to get home by the end of the year, and to relaunch international travel and tourism. How will this work? To qualify for no quarantine, arrivals fromRead more