By Howard Johnson
The situation
A travel ban is currently in place affecting non-citizens and non-residents of Australia, with limited concessions available for immediate family members of Australians and New Zealand Citizens usually resident in Australia. The Australian Government has provided further guidance on additional limited exemptions, including for individuals providing critical or essential services or on compassionate grounds.
Effective 09:00pm AEDT, Friday 20 March 2020, non-citizens and non-permanent residents were banned from entering Australia. Australian citizens, permanent residents and their direct family members are still permitted to enter Australia but are required to self-isolate for 14 days. New Zealand citizens who are usually resident in Australia are also permitted to enter, again with the requirement to self-isolate for 14 days.
A closer look
The Prime Minister has indicated that additional limited exemptions to the travel ban will be available focussed on individuals providing ‘critical or essential services or on compassionate grounds’.
The Department has now released the following additional limited guidance of circumstances where the Commissioner of the Australian Border Force may consider an additional exemption in relation to the travel bans:
In all cases, sufficient evidence must be provided in support of the request to exercise the discretion to grant relief in particular circumstances. Travel to Australia should not be attempted until the approval of the specific exemption.
Passengers transiting through Australia
Certain nationalities remain eligible to transit through Australia without a visa. For these passengers, the transits must occur on the same day as arrival and passengers must remain in the sterile transit area of the relevant Australian airport.
The Department has confirmed that: