Australian Immigration Daily News

National Cabinet agreed that all international passenger flight arrivals will be coordinated by the Commonwealth Government. This means, the number of arrivals at each international airport will be subject to caps agreed upon between federal and all state and territory governments. 

As part of this national coordinated approach, all international passenger flights into Victoria have been cancelled until further notice. 

In addition, all international cruise ships are banned from sailing into or out of Australian ports.

Australia continues to maintain strict border measures in place to protect the health of the Australian community. At present very limited flights are currently available to and from Australia.

Travellers arriving in Australia, including Australian citizens, are subject to mandatory quarantine for 14 days at a designated facility, such as a hotel, in their port of arrival. Different States impose different rules regarding payment related to quarantine.

Critical Skills

The Government's Economic and Fiscal Outlook released by the government shows the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic across all parts of the Australian economy, including migration.

The Outlook revealed a few key assumptions on how the pandemic will continue to affect migration to Australia:

As most of our readers are aware, between July and December 2020, only Australian Citizens, Permanent Residents, New Zealanders, a small number of international students, and those with a valid Temporary Visa and Travel Exemption will be able to travel to Australia, based on announced policy to date.

As we continue to navigate through what appears to be a second wave of COVID19 pandemic, various States and Territories are announcing how they will be managing incoming international passengers

Below is a State by State update international inbound flight restrictions.

New South Wales

A member of Migration Alliance, and Registered Migration Agent, John Young, received the following email from the Department of Home Affairs today:

"Due to COVID-19 and the global travel bans, no Bridging Visa B’s for travel are being granted. 

The applicant can depart on their current Bridging Visa A but would need to apply for a new visa to enter Australia if their intention is to return, bearing in mind the travel restrictions and quarantine requirements.