Sydney: Australia has allowed fully vaccinated eligible visa holders to enter the country without the need to apply for a travel exemption from December 1. Eligible visa holders include skilled and student cohorts, as well as humanitarian, working holidaymakers and provisional family visa holders. Australia shut its international border in May 2020 and allowed only restricted numbers of citizens and permanent residents to enter in a bid to curtail the spread of COVID-19.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, in a statement, said: “From 1 December 2021, fully vaccinated eligible visa holders can come to Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption. Eligible visa holders include skilled and student cohorts, as well as humanitarian, working holidaymaker and provisional family visa holders.”
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
- Present a negative COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test taken within three days of departure.
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.
According the statement, from 1 December 2021, Australia will also welcome back fully vaccinated citizens from Japan and the Republic of Korea. Under these arrangements, citizens of Japan and the Republic of Korea who hold a valid Australian visa will be able to travel from their home country quarantine-free to participating states and territories, without needing to seek a travel exemption.
Under these arrangements, travellers must:
- Depart from their home country
- Be fully vaccinated with a completed dosage of a vaccine approved or recognised by the TGA
- Hold a valid Australian visa
- Provide proof of their vaccination status
- Present a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within three days of departure.
The Australian government said the return of skilled workers and international students to Australia will further cement the country’s economic recovery and support the education sector.
