Today’s biggest news is NSW’s announcement of new international arrival rules: from 1 November, fully vaccinated overseas travellers arriving in NSW will no longer be required to quarantine — neither hotel nor home quarantine.After the NSW Premier made the announcement this morning, it caused significant waves. The Australian Prime Minister personally clarified this afternoon:

“The Premier knows that the decision to open international borders is made by the Federal Government, not the states. When the Federal Government feels it can make that decision, it will.”

The new quarantine-free entry rule for NSW from 1 November currently applies only to Australian citizens, PRs, and their immediate family members. The Federal Government has not yet expanded international arrivals on a large scale.

The truly significant official announcement is:

When Australia’s double-vaccination rate reaches 80%, parents of PR holders and citizens will be included in the immediate family category, meaning parents will be part of the group eligible for direct border exemption.

Australia-wide double vaccination is expected to reach 80% in November. The chart below shows the current progress by state.

The prerequisite for a border exemption to enter Australia is holding a valid visa:

For a visitor visa:Parents can apply for a visitor visa valid for 3 years, with a stay of up to 12 months per visit (for those who have previously visited Australia)

For the longer-term Subclass 870 / Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa: Parents can apply for a Subclass 870 / Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa valid for either 3 or 5 years (the sponsoring child must first obtain approved sponsorship status)

Parents of PR holders and citizens currently overseas, please contact our consultants below based on your child’s location in Australia to enquire about visa applications!

Frequently Asked Questions

Australia currently recognises only Sinovac among domestically produced Chinese vaccines; Sinopharm is still under review and has not yet been approved. Here are some questions and answers regarding entry for parents of PR holders and citizens:

Q: If parents have not received Sinovac, or have received a mix of Sinovac and another vaccine, does that mean they cannot come to Australia?

A:Assumingthe vaccines received are not Sinovac, or a mixed combination, Australia currently does not recognise these,meaning that at the time of entry, home quarantine would not be permitted (the latest announcement for NSW arrivals is quarantine-free entry), and hotel quarantine of 14 days would be required instead.However, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will continue to evaluate vaccines and may approve additional ones in the future.

Q: Now that Australia recognises Sinovac, can parents receive Sinovac in Australia?

A: No,because Sinovac is currently only recognised in Australia for the purposes of international travel,it does not mean it has been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), and there is currently no information to suggest that Sinovac or other domestically produced Chinese vaccines have submitted applications to the TGA. If parents are considering receiving a domestically produced Chinese vaccine, they will still need to return to China to do so for now.

Q: Have visitor visa applications submitted by overseas parents started being processed? For those who haven’t yet applied on behalf of their parents, should they consider lodging an application?

A:The Department of Home Affairs has not yet resumed processing visitor visa applications for overseas parents,as the border has not yet been opened for those holding parent visitor visas,a border exemption must still be applied for, and the visitor visa will only be processed and granted once the border exemption is approved.

Of course, if you wish to prepare documents in advance or even lodge an application to join the queue, that is entirely possible,the backlog of parent visitor visa applications over the past year and a half is considerable, and once applications reopen, processing times may significantly exceed the usual timeframes,so we recommend preparing all relevant documentation for your parents well in advance.

Q: For parents currently in Australia who have not yet obtained PR, will continuing to renew their visitor visa or other visas be affected? Do parents who have already been granted a Subclass 143 bridging visa need to leave?

A: There is currently no impact,parents currently in Australia can still apply normally to renew their visitor visa, Subclass 408 / Temporary Activity visa, or Subclass 870 / Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa,and parents who were previously granted a Subclass 143 bridging visa while in Australia are also unaffected — their visa remains valid.

The following analysis concerns international students and other temporary visa holders

“Analysis of Quarantine-Free Entry into NSW from Overseas”

Please take careful note:

This does not mean that international students and othertemporary visa holderscan enter Australia quarantine-free from 1 November.

NSW’s new rule states that people arriving in NSW from overseas can do so without quarantine,but the prerequisite is that you can enter Australia’s border in the first place, and border entry is determined by the Federal Government(just as Subclass 190 invitations are issued by state governments, but that does not mean you have been granted the Subclass 190 / Skilled Nominated visa, since visas are processed by the federal Department of Home Affairs).

What 1 November 2021 actually relates to is:

The Federal Government has not yet announced an easing of border restrictions for the majority of temporary visa holders.

What is actually feasible on 1 November 2021 isPR holders, citizens, and their immediate family members (with parents of PR holders and citizens to be added soon) who are fully vaccinated with an approved vaccine (including Sinovac), as well as a very small number oftemporary visa holders(for example, those with critical skills in healthcare)

Now, regarding whether international students will eventually be able to enter quarantine-free:

The pilot programme for international students returning to Australia is planned independently by each state government and then approved by the Federal Government.

NSW’s decision does not represent other states,so even if NSW’s international student pilot programme were to be quarantine-free, that would not mean international students studying at universities in Victoria, South Australia, or Queensland could also return without quarantine,as the current policy is determined individually by each state government.The first pilot rounds for both Victoria and NSW have made it clear that hotel quarantine is required,

which does not mean completely quarantine-free entry

During the entire border closure period, NSW has borne the greatest hotel quarantine burden, with many PR holders, citizens, and their spouses stranded overseas entering Australia via NSW before travelling on to other states.

Other states are currently designating both NSW and Victoria as COVID-19 hotspot areas.

The policy for most other states is: for example, residents returning to their home state from NSW are required to quarantine (at home or in a hotel), and NSW residents who need to enter another state for special circumstances must apply for and be granted an exemption. Therefore, arriving in Australia via NSW without quarantine does not meancomplete quarantine-free travel.Also in today’s news, the opening of regional NSW toSydney residents has beendelayed, and intra-state movement is not yet as unrestricted.

However, interstate border restrictions are expected to ease progressively; today the ACT relaxed entry from NSW.

Overall, this is positive news, but it is not yet immediate

This article is not intended to dampen the spirits of international students and other temporary visa holders overseas(a friend messaged us this morning: “No more quarantine — already looking at flights…”),of course this is a positive development for border opening overall,but for international students and other temporary visa holders, it will take a little longer to become a reality — it is not happening on 1 November.At yesterday’s MIA annual conference, the Minister for Immigration stated that the border reopening for international students, skilled migrants, and the majority of temporary visa holders is being pursued at full speed and is currently the Department’s primary focus. If most temporary visa holders are able to gradually return at some point next year, then NSW’s so-called ‘major new rule’ may finally become relevant to those of you overseas.

Ultimately, we hope everyone can return to Australia for real very soon!

To join our 2021 Return to Australia group, please add the consultants below and note:Anticipation, to request entry to the group!

Newstars on Change.org

Petition to the Prime Minister and Minister for Immigration

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1. Following New Zealand’s policy, grant a one-off amnesty to temporary residents who have been waiting long periods for migration outcomes

2. Restore skilled migration visa allocations for this financial year to at least their original level of 108,000 places

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ABC News is also expected to provide detailed coverage!

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