Travel Ban Exemptions and Travel Bubbles Announced
1 December Travel Ban Exemptions Announced for Skilled Visa Holders and International Students
The Australian Government today announced a number of changes to the nature of the travel ban for international travellers, to come into effect from 1 December 2021.
From 1 December, fully vaccinated travellers who hold certain eligible visas can come to Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption.
Eligible visa holders include both skilled and student cohorts (eg: subclasses 482 and 500), as well as working holiday visa holders and provisional family visa holders. The full list of eligible visa subclasses can be found at the following link.
Under these arrangements, travellers must:
Be fully vaccinated with a completed dosage of a vaccine approved or recognised by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA);
Hold a valid visa for one of the eligible visa subclasses;
Provide proof of their vaccination status; and
Present a negative COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test taken within three days of departure.
Assuming the above requirements can be satisfied, no travel exemption request is required in order for the person to travel to Australia.
This also means that temporary visa holders in Australia who hold one of the above eligible visa subclasses will be able to depart and return to Australia without needing an inbound travel exemption.
Travellers to Australia must comply with the quarantine requirements in the state or territory of their arrival, and any other state or territory to which they plan to travel. Those who are travelling to Australian States and Territories that allow quarantine free travel for the fully vaccinated (such as NSW), should not need to undertake any hotel or at-home quarantine upon arrival.
Travel Bubbles – Singapore, Japan and Republic of Korea
We also note that as of 21 November 2021, a travel bubble now exists between Singapore and Australia. This means that an exemption category exists for fully vaccinated Singapore citizens who hold valid Australian visas. They must be travelling from Singapore directly and arriving into an Australian state that allows fully vaccinated travellers to arrive quarantine free.
Similar travel bubbles will open with Japan and the Republic of Korea from 1 December 2021. Again, citizens of Japan and the Republic of Korea who hold valid Australian visas will be able to travel from their home country quarantine-free to participating states and territories, without needing to seek a travel exemption.
Should you have any questions in relation to the above, please do not hesitate to reach out to one of our team members:
Rita Chowdhury, Principal: rita@integratelegal.com
Sean Loughland, Senior Associate: sean@integratelegal.com
Jeffrey Bennett, Senior Associate: jeffrey@integratelegal.com
