Australia News

New arrangements added in the reopening of international borders

Eliza Sayon Nov 22, 2021

2 min read

As Australia continues to take further steps to safely reopen its international borders, additional changes in its arrangements will come into effect on 1 December.

Under the new arrangements, travellers entering Australia 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 they plan to travel.

Australia will also welcome back fully vaccinated citizens from Japan and the Republic of Korea. Under these arrangements, those 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.

The changes, which are consistent with the National Plan to safely reopen the country, ensure the protection of the health of Australians while reuniting families and securing economic recovery.

Starting 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 and humanitarian, working holidaymakers and provisional family visa holders.

The return of skilled workers and international students to Australia will help further cement the country’s economic recovery, providing the valuable workers with economic needs and supporting Australia’s important education sector.

The announcement follows earlier changes that have allowed fully vaccinated Australians, permanent residents and their immediate family members to come home since 1 November, and follows the commencement of the Singapore safe travel zone yesterday.

These changes demonstrate the success of the Australian Government’s National Plan, as they continue to get Australia back to normal and reopen to the world safely.

Source: Minister for Home Affairs Media Release

Eliza Sayon

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Eliza is a content producer and editor at Public Spectrum. She is an experienced writer on topics related to the government and to the public, as well as stories that uplift and improve the community.