What the ban covers: the new Migration Amendment Act invoked for the first time, targeting Iran’s Subclass 600 visas
The Minister for Home Affairs has just announced that, for the first time, the powers under the latest Migration Amendment Act passed only two weeks ago are being used to impose a six-month temporary entry ban on Iranian citizens holding a visitor visa (Subclass 600). A six-month temporary entry ban will be imposed on Iranian citizens holding a visitor visa, primarily targeting Subclass 600 visa holders who are currently offshore (relative to Australia) and hold an Iranian passport.
Who is not affected by this ban
- Iranian visa holders who are already onshore in Australia,
- spouses, de facto partners and dependent children of Australian citizens or permanent residents,
- parents of children under 18 whose parents are already onshore in Australia.
- those who have been issued a valid Permitted Travel Certificate.
- non-visitor-visa holders — those holding any visa category other than the Subclass 600 visitor visa (e.g. student visas, work visas, etc. are all unaffected).
Official figures: the scale of the impact and the broader Middle East picture
Several thousand Iranian visa holders are expected to be affected. According to Department of Home Affairs data from the start of the month, there are currently around 7,200 Iranians in Iran who hold an Australian temporary visa, and more than 40,000 Australian temporary visa holders across the Middle East as a whole.
The Minister for Home Affairs said that visa applications currently being processed will continue to be assessed — the ban restricts entry, not visa processing.
The Minister for Home Affairs said the main purpose of the ban is to protect the order, fairness and sustainability of Australia’s visa system. The conflict in Iran means that some temporary visa holders, were they to come to Australia, may be unable or unwilling to leave before their visa expires. Many of the visitor visas granted before the conflict in Iran broke out would probably not be approved at all if they were applied for now.
Just a few short years after Covid ended, travel bans have returned to Australia. A temporary visa is no longer a guarantee that, once granted, you can come and go whenever you like.
