Australian Immigration Daily News

This Bill will amend the Migration Act 1958 to require the Minister to replace the current Maritime Crew Visa with two new categories of Maritime Crew Visas under Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994.

The two new categories of Maritime Crew Visas will include:

- an International Seafarers Transit Visa for entering Australia on a continuing international voyage only (the purpose of the current Maritime Crew Visa); and
- an International Seafarers Work Visa, which would permit international seafarers to be engaged on ships authorised under a Temporary License to undertake coastal voyages made under the Coastal Trading (Revitalising Australian Shipping) Act 2012.

This Bill requires that foreign maritime crew on 'Flag of Convenience' vessels are subject to appropriate security screening and background checking to a similar standard that is applied to Australians subject to a Maritime Security Identification Card (MSIC).

Source: Maritime-Crew-Visas-Bill-2020.pdf and Maritime-Crew-Visas-Bill-2020-Explanatory.pdf