Australia International Travel To Re-Open

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Australia International Travel To Re-Open

Prime Minister, Scott Morrison announced in a Press Conference that Australia’s international border will re-open from November 2021 for States with an 80% vaccination rate – starting with New South Wales (NSW). This is very welcome and highly anticipated news. Australia’s international border has been closed for more than 18 months and many people have been waiting to reconnect with loved ones.

Written by Sheila Woods of Interstaff 1 October, 2021

Border to Re-open for Some States in November 2021

At this stage, it appears the relaxed border restrictions will focus on:

Maximising the number of Australians that can return
Enabling more vaccinated Australians to travel out of the country

Australia international travel decisions are still being considered for re-opening:

Inbound international travel to Temporary Visa holders
Outbound international travel to unvaccinated Australians

What was announced – Australia International Travel 2021

Mr Morrison said:

Fully vaccinated Australians and Permanent Residentsarriving in NSW will be able to home quarantine for 7 days (instead of 14 day hotel-quarantine) – depending on the outcome of current home-quarantine trials.
- Travellers must be fully vaccinated with an approved vaccine by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) – including Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna and the Janssen vaccine. Sinovac and Covishield would be considered ‘recognised vaccines’.
- Australian Citizens and Permanent Residents that cannot be vaccinated due a medical condition or because they are under 12 would be treated as vaccinated for travel purposes.
South Australiawill also implement home quarantine for vaccinated arrivals once 80% of the State’s population over 16 years are fully vaccinated.
Unvaccinated travellers(including people that have been vaccinated with an unapproved TGA vaccine) will need to undertake hotel quarantine for 14 days.
The Government will work with States to remove arrivals caps for vaccinated travellers.
Commercial flights out of Australiawill resume for vaccinated Australians. Travellers will need to access a Government-issued internationally recognised proof of vaccination document and can fly to any country, but should consider travel advice by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Quarantine-free travelbetween some countries, such as New Zealand and Singapore, would be considered ‘when it is safe to do so’.

To enable the re-opening next month, many practicalities are yet to be fully worked through – including whether airlines and border authorities will be ready to ramp up their services in line with new restrictions and proof of vaccination, and whether home quarantine trials will be successful.

It will also require the lifting of current international arrivals caps that had been put in place to manage quarantine. Western Australia and Queensland’s State Premiers have expressed their reluctance at opening borders at the 80% vaccination rate. Read more here.

Interstaff assist people all over the world with the legal and professional process to travel or migrate to Australia for temporary work or permanent residence. Established in 1988, Interstaff has been trusted by migrating individuals and businesses for over 30 years and are the strongest group of experts for visa work in Australia. MARN: 0533879.

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.