Arrivals to Australia from India
As of todays date, 3 May 2021, the Australian Government has advised that a person must not enter Australia if they have been in India in the 14 days before travelling to Australia.
Why has this happened ?
The Australian Government decided this course of action in order to temporarily restrict entry to Australia for people who have been in India in the last 14 days based on the latest health advice that there is a high likelihood of COVID-19 cases arriving in Australia via a person travelling from India, or who has been in India in the last 14 days.
India has been identified as a high-risk country due to the significant increase in COVID-19 positive case numbers in travellers to Australia from India.
Are there exceptions to this rule ?
There are exceptions to this rule and they are:
- if the flight from India is an Australian Government facilitated flight, OR
- that is an emergency medical evacuation flight
There are certain people that are also exempt from this rule and they are:
(a) member of the crew of an aircraft or vessel;
(b) worker associated with the safety or maintenance of an aircraft or vessel;
(c) person engaged in the daytoday conduct of inbound and outbound freight;
(d) person (including a member of the Australian Defence Force) who is travelling on official government business on an Australian official or diplomatic passport;
(e) person who is an immediate family member of a person mentioned in paragraph (d);
(f) a diplomatic, consular or other foreign official accredited to Australia;
(g) a person:
(i) who is an immediate family member of a person mentioned in (f) and
(ii) who holds a Subclass 995 (Diplomatic (Temporary)) visa;
(h) a member of an Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT).
What does this mean for our clients ?
If you are or have staff currently in India and they are not covered by any of the above exceptions then you/they are prohibited from entering Australia.
It is important that it is understood that this rule covers those who are Australian citizens and those who may have a valid Australian visa.
Any one breaching the rule to face up to five years in jail or heavy fines.
It is understood to be the first time Australia has banned and put in place criminal sanctions for its own citizens who return home.
What, did I read that correctly you might be saying to yourself, is Australia banning its own citizens from returning home ?. Yes that is correct, Australia is banning its own citizens from returning home so there you have it – now you have read it all. When a country bans its own citizens from returning its probably a good idea to buy a lotto ticket in the hope that you can win and spend your life on board your superyacht flitting from country to country and not having to worry about what passport you have or what country you have visited.
For clients who have staff that were planning on travelling to Australia please stay in touch with us and we will advise of any updates to this situation as soon as further updates become available.
Visa Executive Linked In Page
To ensure your assignees are adequately supported we have created our VE linked in page specifically for visa applicants to allow them to keep up to date with the changes that may affect them now and with any future visa applications. Please feel free to let your staff and clients know of this link https://www.linkedin.com/company/visa-executive/
Moments like this, reminds us that we’re all connected. We’re called upon to be our best selves, with patience, understanding and compassion. Despite the many difficulties we all face, I’d like to re-assure you that Visa Executive remains fully committed to doing everything we can to support you and your assignees. As this situation evolves, please be assured that we will proactively reach out if there is additional support we can provide. In the meantime, if you have any further questions or are worried about the situation of your staff, please pick up the phone and give us a call.
Catherine Clarke - Mob: +61 (0) 417 957 130
Elena Koulikov – Mob: +61 (0) 406 161 974
Sarah Loch-Wilkinson – Mob + 61 (0) 424 523 878
Corinne Johnson - USA: +1 (561) 367 3691 OR Australia: +61 (2) 8064 2313
Sandra Tempest - Mob: +61 (0) 407 804 977
William Heselton – Mob: +61 (0) ) 423 576 231
Amanda Tinner – Mob: +61 (0) 409 969 525
