Australia Eases Travel Restrictions for International Students

In a recent announcement, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared the resumption of cross-border travel to Australia for fully vaccinated Australian visa holders. Starting December 1st, eligible international students and skilled workers will be allowed to enter the country without seeking exemption from the travel ban. Earlier, the government had lifted outbound travel restrictions for fully vaccinated Australians from November 1st. This announcement came as the next phase of relaxing pandemic travel restrictions, as the country sees a significant dip in Covid-19 cases along with reaching the 85% vaccination target. This is great news for all the Indian students who want to study in Australia in the upcoming February/July 2022 intakes! Let’s explore everything you need to know Australia eases travel ban restrictions for international students.

We are opening borders to international students on 1 December. This is good for those students, good for the unis and good for our economy.

— Alan Tudge (@AlanTudgeMP) November 22, 2021

Highlights of Updated Travel Guidelines

• 2,00,000+ international students, skilled workers and business travelers are expected to arrive in the country in the first week of December. 
• Flights across the Sydney-Delhi route will begin operation from December 6th, said the Australian airline company, Qantas.
• International students and working professionals will be allowed to land at the New South Wales and Victoria airports without mandatory quarantine. 

International students constituted roughly A$40 billion of the Australian economy. These numbers witnessed a massive drop in the wake of the pandemic with the country’s stronghold on cross-border travel for students. Besides, the country’s closed borders also intensified the skills shortage crisis for business firms. After more than 18 months of the Covid-19 travel ban Australia eases travel restrictions for students, the latest announcement came as a measure to get the country’s economy back on track. Prime Minister Harrison called it a “major milestone” in Australia’s economic recovery.

Accepted Vaccines 

In order to be recognized as fully vaccinated, foreign nationals arriving in Australia must show proof of the following approved vaccinations:

1. AstraZeneca Vaxzevria
2. AstraZeneca Covishield
3. Pfizer/Biontech Comirnaty
4. Moderna Spikevax
5. Sinovac Coronavac
6. Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV (for people aged 18-60) 
7. Bharat Biotech Covaxin
8. Janssen-Cilag COVID Vaccine

Vaccination Guidelines for International Students 

• The vaccination rules require the incoming travelers to Australia to have two doses, at least 14 days apart, of any of the above mentioned vaccines. 
• 7 days should have passed after the final dose. In addition to the vaccination certificate, temporary visa holders arriving in Australia must display a negative COVID-19 PCR test report, taken up to 3 days before arrival to the country.
• The new vaccination rules are not uniform across the country. Entrants will therefore, need to comply with the specific requirements depending on the State or territory of their arrival in Australia.
  (online pharmacy group)

Additional Benefits for International Students 

Another relief to several Indian students planning to pursue higher education in Australia, the government has decided to waive the visa application fee for submitting a further visa application. This is applicable for the international students who held an Australian student visa on or after 1 February 2020 and could not complete their degree program within the duration of the original visa validity. 

The ease of travel restrictions in Australia instilled hope among international students who had secured admits to Australian universities and had to defer their offers or begin their degree programs online, following the impacts on Covid-19. As the students await their return on campus, the Australian government intends to see the classrooms and communities bustling with the students yet again. 

IT. IS. HAPPENING!!

Congratulations, @AlanTudgeMP, on a landmark decision. Congratulations, to students in India + around the world, who’ve dreamt about higher education in Australia.

Foresee more immigration changes in 2022-23 👊@leverageedu ✈️🌎
PS: happening on my bday 😉 https://t.co/3VKPdIWYLs

— Akshay Chaturvedi (@Akshay001) November 22, 2021

What are you waiting for? Maximise the benefit of eased Australian travel guidelines and apply now for the upcoming February/July 2022 intakes with Leverage Edu experts. Call us at 1800 57 2000 to get you application started!