Health Minister Greg Hunt at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra today sounded confident about Australia's border opening on Wednesday, 15 December 2021. Australian border opening is only for eligible visa holders which includes employer sponsored skilled and international student visa holders, as well as humanitarian, working holiday and provisional family visa holders. The list of eligible visas was published on 22 November 2021 and can be found here.
Fully vaccinated eligible visa holders would no longer be required to apply for an exemption to travel to Australia from Wednesday. The border opening would apply to travellers from Japan and South Korea as well. This is further easing from the first opening of the Australian borders at the start of November for fully vaccinated Australian citizens, permanent residents and their families who have been able to travel without quarantining on their return here.
Travellers to Australia must present a negative COVID-19 PCR test within three days of departure and evidence that they have been vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration to enter Australia. Note the procedure all international arrivals should follow before they board their flight as compliance with all requirements is crucial to being allowed on your flight to Australia.
Australian authorities will continue to assess the gravity of the impact of the Omicron variant and some countries will remain on the ban list until further visibility is reached in respect of severity and transmissibility of the new variant.
Contact Assent Migration Lawyers to help you navigate the complex border protection and visa system of Australia.