Study in Australia Update- Australia Lifts Ban and Opens Its Borders to International Travel
November 2021
Australia is one of the most beautiful countries in the world which boasts its great diversity, amazing culture and ferocious wilderness. Known as "The Land Down Under", Australia is home to a number of world renowned universities and colleges. The universities in Australia offer a plethora of courses to international students. Courses in Australia, accredited under the AQF- Australian Qualifications Framework, are offered across various disciplines viz. Business and Management, Accounting, Languages and Engineering.
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Covid-19 Implications in Australia amidst the pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia shut its borders to all non-citizens and non-residents indefinitely since March 2020. This ban on entry to the country came into effect from March 20, 2020 with the only exceptions being Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family, including spouses, dependants and legal guardians. The main aim was to curb the spread of the pandemic in order to save the lives of people. During the pandemic, all colleges and universities in Australia shifted their classes online. Students had to complete their assessments online and were not permitted to attend campus.
Australia Lifts Ban on Travel
In the media release of 1st October 2021 by the Prime Minister of Australia, it was said that the country is now prepared to move a step further to open its borders to the rest of the world. The Australian government is planning out the framework as to how international travel will look in the months to come. The government has been formulating plans in order to enable Australian families to finally reunite post this distressing phase. People working in the country can travel in and out, and on the other hand, policies to enable tourists to visit the country will be worked upon by the government.
Within a span of few weeks, most of the country will be progressing to Phase B and later on to Phase C of the National Plan to reopen the country safely and to stay safely open. Fully vaccinated Australian travellers will be permitted to travel internationally under Phase C. Many global countries have at present, safely reopened to international travel and now Australia too is ready to embark on this route.
With an aim to enable fully vaccinated Australians to travel, the Australian government is formalizing new arrangements.
The states of New South Wales and South Australia will be spearheading home quarantine pilots following which, the states and territories will also follow soon.
- All Australian citizens and permanent residents who are fully vaccinated with a vaccine acclaimed for use in Australia or recognized by the (TGA) i.e. the Therapeutic Goods Administration have to undergo home quarantine for seven days.
- A person not vaccinated or vaccinated with a vaccine not approved/recognized by the TGA has to undertake managed quarantine for 14 days.
The country's citizens and permanent residents under the age of 12 or those suffering from a medical condition cannot be vaccinated. In this case, they will be treated as vaccinated for the purposes of their travel.
All those arriving in the country who are not vaccinated, will have to undergo managed quarantine for 14 days under Phase B and C of the National Plan. These will return to previous levels at Phase B of the National Plan. All vaccinated Australians will be free from travel restrictions. The government will work with states on the same. However, travellers will continue to be tested for Covid-19 as part of the requirement of international travel and Rapid Antigen Tests may be used.
For people having a TGA 'recognized vaccine', to be able to display their vaccination status, the processes to do so will be finalized by the Australian government in the coming months.
Pfizer (Comirnaty), AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Modern (Spikevax) and COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen are the four COVID-19 vaccines that have sought approval and are registered for use by the TGA. In addition to these, the Agency has also been reviewing other vaccines that are used globally for the purposes of determining 'recognized vaccines'.
The Australian government's aim is to ensure the safety of its citizens without causing needless hindrances to people who have been fully vaccinated overseas from coming to their country.
Along with the four approved vaccines, the TGA has advised that the Corona vac (Sino vac) and Covishield (AstraZeneca/Serum Institute of India) vaccines should be approved to consider incoming international travellers as being appropriately vaccinated.
As the country moves ahead on the path of recovery, the Minister for Health will consider updating the Biosecurity Act Emergency to determine some of these changes for fully vaccinated travellers as they move ahead on the National Plan to get Australia back to normal and safely reopen the country.
For further assistance or queries students can contact us, Edwise International, and avail for our wide range of services for students on destinations like Universities in Australia, study in Australia, study in UK, study in Ireland, study in Canada, study in USA, study in New-Zealand, study in Singapore and many other countries.
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