Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced this Monday that Australian borders will reopen on 1 December 2021 to allow a range of fully-vaccinated visa holders to travel to Australia without the requirement for travel exemptions.
Those eligible for the rule change will include skilled migrants, international students, humanitarian as well as working holiday-maker and provisional family visa holders.
The list of eligible visas has been published on the Department's COVID site here: https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/vaccinated-travellers#toc-7. This is very welcome news to many of our clients who are holding 491 and 482 visas and were not able to enter the country.
Migration rates fell sharply when the border was closed to everyone except Australian citizens and permanent residents in March 2020 in response to the emerging pandemic.
Now, almost two years later, many industries are reporting a massive shortage of workers, with projects including big public infrastructure works at risk.
The government expects around 200,000 temporary visa holders will be able to re-enter Australia from December 1, but it is not yet clear how many new spots will be made available in each category.
Under the new rules, the visa holders must have received a vaccine approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration and provide proof of their vaccination status. You can check which are acceptable vaccinations here: https://www.passports.gov.au/guidance-foreign-vaccination-certificates
The visa holders will have to comply with the specific quarantine requirements of the state or territory upon arrival. At this stage it’s only Victoria and NSW which are fully open.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said that allowing more people to return to Australia from overseas would help bolster the economy.
"We want to allow skilled migrants to come to our country as well as international students sooner than later,"
Mr Frydenberg told Sky News.
Step-by-step it’s getting ever closer that the Australian borders will be fully open and will soon be back at pre-pandemic immigration levels.
At Pathway, we are already seeing a sharp increase in the number of new enquiries from prospective migrants wishing to prepare themselves for the upcoming immigration surge.
If this is of interest, then NOW is the time to get started on the process as spots will fill quickly next year. Please email me at david@pathwaylawyers.com to see how we can assist you.
