You’ve likely already heard last night’s news: the border reopening for eligible temporary visa holders has been pushed back from 1 December to 15 December. Disappointing, yes — but no reason to despair, and today we’ve rounded up some useful details to fill you in.
Another Border Closure?! Not Quite.
Who Is Affected by This Delay
First thing this morning, many people were asking: has Australia closed its borders again?!
No — this is simply a delay for the groups covered by the 22 November announcement. Those affected include holders of Subclass 485, 500, 462, 417, and 482 visas. The Australia–Japan and Australia–South Korea travel bubbles are also postponed until 15 December.
The following groups may still enter
– Fully vaccinated Australian citizens, permanent residents (PR), or their immediate family members (including parents)
– Fully vaccinated travellers from New Zealand and Singapore
– A limited number of travellers granted an entry exemption
Please note that quarantine and other requirements are subject to change at any time (the following information is current as at 30 November 2021)
Regardless of category, all travellers entering Australia must present a negative PCR test result, complete a declaration form detailing their vaccination status, and comply with the quarantine and testing requirements of their destination state or territory.
New South Wales and Victoria have announced that travellers who arrived from South Africa and eight other countries before the travel ban took effect are required to undergo mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine, regardless of their vaccination status.In addition, all overseas travellers arriving from any other country or territory — regardless of their visa category and even if fully vaccinated with an approved vaccine — must self-isolate at home or at their place of accommodation for 72 hours upon arrival.
The Pause on Easing Restrictions Is a Matter of Extreme Caution
The new variant has understandably triggered pandemic-level concern, though the situation today is very different from early 2020, as Australian Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt noted: ‘We now have higher vaccination rates and are among the countries with the highest vaccination rates in the world. Australia’s public health system and preventive measures are strong, and more importantly, the hospital system is fully prepared.’
The government therefore believes Omicron is ‘manageable’, and the information received so far suggests this variant may be milder than others.
The government’s decision to pause the easing of entry restrictions for international students and other eligible visa holders is a matter of ‘extreme caution’ — the current plan remains to open up to these groups on 15 December.
There is a consensus within the Australian government that the new virus cannot be kept out indefinitely, and that Australia will continue on its path towards reopening.
Australia’s Education Minister told the ABC that the government will continue to monitor the situation in line with public health advice.
‘The 15-day pause is to ensure we can gather information to better understand the variant — including vaccine efficacy, the scope of the disease, whether it may cause milder symptoms, and its level of transmissibility,’
‘I know this will be disappointing for some students hoping to come to Australia, but this is only a temporary pause.
‘Our framework and plans remain on track to support international students and skilled migrants returning to Australia, and I look forward to welcoming students back in the near future.’
Go8 Chief Executive Vicki Thomson described it as an ‘unfortunate’ but understandable decision.
‘Every decision made is in [the students’] best interests, so we hope there will be a positive outcome before Christmas.”
In addition, the New South Wales pilot programme for international students originally scheduled to arrive on 6 December has been confirmed today and is proceeding as planned, with slightly fewer students than originally anticipated — but it’s a positive start!For more details, see today’s third article!
A group for timely return-to-Australia updates has been set up
Students who wish to join
can add our customer service contact and note: Return to Australia
Considering Accelerating the Booster Rollout
Aside from the border situation, the emergence of Omicron has also sparked extensive discussion about booster doses. As at 29 November 2021, 415,00 Australians have received a booster dose, while 500,000 are already eligible, making the uptake rate still quite low.
On Monday, the Health Minister asked the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) to review the interval between the second and third vaccine doses, which is currently six months.
Meanwhile, OzSAGE — an advisory body comprising more than 80 leading Australian health experts — presented independent expert recommendations yesterday at a symposium on responding to Omicron, calling on the government to further increase vaccination rates and accelerate the booster rollout, from the current interval of six months after the second dose to two months. ATAGI will need more time and data before issuing revised recommendations.
Karina Powers, a representative of the Western Australian arm of the Australian Medical Association, recommended that people continue wearing masks indoors and using QR code contact tracing until more is understood about this new variant.
Many people are asking: will my two doses be useless against Omicron?…
Australia’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Kelly, stated:There is currently no evidence that vaccines are ineffective against the Omicron variant.
‘We don’t yet have evidence to confirm this, but if existing vaccines do prove ineffective, Pfizer and Moderna can move quickly to develop targeted vaccines. That is a significant advantage.’
Federal Health Minister Hunt has spoken with the CEOs of Pfizer Australia and Moderna Australia within the past 24 hours, and Australia’s contracts with them already include provisions for variants. If changes are needed, they are ready — and so is Australia.”
So: ‘stay vigilant, don’t panic’.
Because last night’s delay announcement was such a major piece of news, it captured everyone’s attention —NSW Subclass 190 has issued a new round of invitations, and here is the invitation data for our clients:
– Secondary school teacher: 85+5 points, DOE 2021.7.19
– Secondary school teacher: 85+5 points, DOE 2021.8.18
– QS: 90+5 points, DOE 2021.4.08
– Retail pharmacist: 90+5 points, DOE 2021.11.11
We have also been informed that an Architectural Draftsperson with 80+5 points received an invitation — for reference only.
We have not yet seen invitations for engineering, IT, or accounting occupations — we’ll share more updates as they come through. Congratulations to all who received an invitation!NSW Subclass 190 invitations are quite unpredictable, but fortunately they have been issued frequently this financial year and across a wide range of occupations,so those with NSW Subclass 190 as Plan A should focus on boosting their points score and wait patiently!
All in all, good things take time —
we hope to see everyone in Australia soon
Study Abroad / Migration
Key Information
Videos
Past Articles
Australian Qualifications + Subclass 485 Work Visa — Up to 3 Years + Migration Opportunities After Graduation!
Australian Qualifications + Subclass 485 Work Visa — Up to 3 Years + Migration Opportunities After Graduation!
Subclass 485 Major Update! Those Stranded Overseas Can Reapply! Coursework Masters Can Apply for 3 Years!
Overseas Subclass 489/491 Holders Also Eligible for Extension — 20,000 May Regain a Pathway to PR
Canberra State Nomination ‘Amnesty’ — Matrix Points Widely Awarded!
Migration Information Sharing & Q&A Group
Step 1: Press and hold to add customer service
Step 2: After adding, please
NSW Subclass 190/491 Invitations Issued Frequently — Understand Your Real Chances of Success!Click ‘Original Link’to watch the video for a detailed explanation!
