When will the Australian borders open?
But when will the borders open? This is a question that we are frequently being asked by students and other visa holders stuck outside Australia.
The Australian Government has indicated that international students will be among the first allowed to enter Australia. Australian universities are desperate for the borders to open and putting a lot of pressure on the government to open, however, they have given no clear indication when this will be.
There is a lot of different stories being advertised by news. Recently the Australian Government has announced that several universities have been allowed to provide a pilot program. If successful, this will provide a lot clearer pathway for students to enter Australia.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Australia closed its borders to certain countries with high rates of COVID. I think it will also most likely open their borders to students from countries will low rates of COVID.
This situation is unprecedented and clearly can change at any time. The introduction of vaccines could result in the borders opening much sooner.
We can appreciate that anyone stuck overseas would like to have this resolved as quickly as possible. And we will ensure that we keep you updated as soon as we have any updates.
What if I already have a visa and am stuck offshore?
If you are stuck offshore, you can apply for a request an exemption to the border closure to with Australian Immigration – https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/departmental-forms/online-forms/covid19-enquiry-form
Many of these requests are being refused, but it is hoped in the future that these will be allowed.