Australian Border Update

Further to our update earlier today about NSW’s new quarantine arrangements from 1 November 2021, the Australian Prime Minister has this afternoon confirmed:

• From 1 November 2021, fully vaccinated Australian permanent residents/citizens will no longer need a travel exemption to depart Australia.
• At this stage, all temporary visa holders, whether vaccinated or not, will still need an exemption to enter Australia. It is expected these arrangements will be in place until Australia reaches Phase D of the National Plan, anticipated to be around December.  The date for this has not been confirmed.
• Quarantine requirements will continue to be decided by each State/Territory Government. NSW has announced that from 1 November there will be no need for quarantine (including home quarantine)  for vaccinated travellers.
• Parents can now enter Australia subject to having the appropriate visa.

This was quickly followed by Qantas’ announcement that it will bring forward its planned restart date for international flights from NSW to 1 November.

Can temporary visa holders depart and then return to Australia?
Yes they can depart at any time but will still need a border exemption to re-enter Australia.

For those wanting to go overseas for Christmas, they should be advised that there is no set date on when the current border exemption requirement will be removed although it is hoped it will be by December.

Should employers be initiating visas now?
For businesses and individuals planning travel to Australia in the New Year, we recommend getting started on the visa process now in order to avoid delays due to processing backlogs.

What next
Things are changing rapidly as Australia gets ready to open up. We are holding a webinar with the latest updates on Monday, 18 October 2021 at 2pm AEST.
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