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Australia’s International Border Reopening – ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

3 November, 2021

Australia’s International Border Reopening – ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

From the 1st of November Australia’s international border is reopening and fully vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents aged 12 and over may travel again internationally without having to apply for an exemption to leave or enter the country.

To qualify as fully vaccinated, a vaccine must be approved or recognised by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). This includes two doses at least 14 days apart of: AstraZeneca Vaxzevria, Covishield, Pfizer/BioNtech Comirnaty, Moderna Spikevax or Sinovac Coronavac, or one dose of Janssen-Cilag Covid vaccine.  Children under 12 and those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons will also be able to travel overseas without an exemption.

Smart Traveller has removed its global “Do not travel” advisory and has updated travel advice levels for 177 destinations based on the latest risk assessments related to Covid-19 and other threats to safety and security. At this stage, no destination will be set lower than Level 2, which is “Exercise a high degree of caution”.  Accordingly prior to making arrangements and bookings it is worth considering the following:

  • What are Australia’s exit and re-entry requirements?
  • What are the requirements of your destination country?
  • What is your tolerance and budget for potential disruption caused by Covid-19?

Pre-departure:

To travel internationally without an exemption you must show your International Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate (ICVC) at check-in when departing Australia.   At check-in, everyone who is five years of age or older must give proof of a negative Covid-19 (PCR) molecular test provided by a laboratory to be done no more than 72 hours before the scheduled departure of the first leg of your return flight to Australia. This is required in addition to the Covid-19 vaccine.

A negative PCR test result certificate will still be valid if your flight is delayed longer than the 72-hour window, but if the flight is rescheduled or cancelled, you will need to take a new test no more than 72 hours before the new flight.

Re-entry:

The Australian government regulates visas and exemptions, but state and territory governments regulate quarantine (and other inbound health related requirements). Therefore, even when you can leave Australia without an exemption, you must keep up to date with your state’s rules for your return.

From Monday, fully vaccinated returning Australians will not be required to quarantine in hotels or at home on arrival into NSW, Victoria and the ACT. Children under 12 will not be treated as unvaccinated.  

If you arrive from overseas directly into another state, at this stage you will still be directed into mandatory hotel quarantine. Tasmania will open its borders on 15 December and South Australia has announced a slow reduction of restrictions starting on 23 November.

Queensland has a very cautious reopening plan that will evolve as vaccination targets are reached. The Northern Territory has a home quarantine plan, for interstate arrivals, to begin around 23 November. Western Australia has not announced its reopening plan.

Outbound – Where can you go?

As travel restrictions ease, Australians are showing the most interest in travelling to Fiji, Singapore, Thailand, Bali, the US and UK. Quarantine-free travel from New Zealand to Australia will resume from Monday.

Fiji:

From 1 December, Fiji is reopening its borders to fully vaccinated tourists (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen), aged 18 and above, from Australia and a select group of countries, including the US and New Zealand. At check-in, everyone aged 12 and above must give proof of a negative RT-PCR result from a test taken within three days of departure. On arrival, all travellers must download careFIJI onto their phones and head straight to their hotel, where they will spend their first two days, with access to all hotel amenities. After a negative rapid antigen (swab) test, taken after 48 hours, they will have access to a range of tourist-appropriate areas throughout the country.

United States:

The US has changed its vaccination requirements for non-US citizens entering the country. In the past, since Australia was considered a low-risk country for Covid-19, Australians did not have to be vaccinated to travel to the US. However, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) now states that, starting on 8 November, all non-US citizens aged 18 and above coming into the US by air must be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before travel with any of the following Federal Drug Administration-approved vaccines: Pfizer/BioNtech Comirnaty, Moderna and Janssen; or World Health Organization Emergency Use Listing vaccines (including Australian-made AstraZeneca Vaxzevria).

All inbound air travellers aged two and older, regardless of citizenship, must show a negative Covid-19 test result. The timing of this test depends on vaccination status and age, something that is particularly relevant for travelling families. At check-in, fully vaccinated adults, and their accompanying children aged between two and 17, must give proof of a negative PCR result for Covid-19 from a test taken no more than three days before departure.

Alternatively, you can provide documentation from a licensed healthcare provider showing recovery from Covid-19 in the 90 days preceding travel. No quarantine will be required, but the CDC will issue an order directing airlines to collect travellers’ contact details for a contact tracing system that is yet to be outlined. International travellers are also still recommended to get a test three to five days after arrival regardless of vaccination status, and some US states make this a requirement.

Singapore:

Vaccinated Australians will be able to travel to Singapore quarantine-free from 8 November. Starting on Monday you can apply for a Vaccinated Travel Pass to enter as a short-term visitor under the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL). You must show proof you are fully vaccinated at least two weeks before travel (children under 12 travelling with family are exempt). You will also be required to take a PCR test on arrival at Singapore airport and remain in isolation until a negative result is received. You must have travel insurance that covers Covid-19 medical treatment and hospital costs. For the moment, only Singapore Airlines is operating VTL flights.

UK:

The UK recently scrapped its traffic light country system and will remove its red list of countries on Monday so that all fully vaccinated international travellers will no longer have to quarantine in a hotel. The UK recognises Australian Pfizer/BioNtech Comirnaty, Oxford/AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines. Fully vaccinated travellers no longer need to show a negative test result before departing for the UK, although currently all airlines operating in and out of Australia are requiring passengers to take PCR tests before leaving. You must fill in a contact locator form before arriving in the UK and prebook a Covid-19 test to be taken before the end of day two after your arrival. Specific rules vary between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Thailand:

Thailand is a bit of a grey area because, while the country is opening to Australia and 45 other “low risk” nations on Monday, the current advice on the Smart Traveller site is at Level 3 (“Reconsider your need to travel”). There are currently limited direct flights to Thailand but Thai Airways has announced an increase in flights starting on 17 November as well as nonstop Sydney to Phuket flights three times a week and daily Sydney to Bangkok flights starting on 8 December. Things are changing fast, so it is worth checking for updates regularly.

Fully vaccinated travellers (Australia’s Pfizer/BioNtech Comirnaty, Moderna and AstraZeneca Vaxzevria all approved) arriving by air will need to show proof of vaccination no less than 14 days before departure (children under 12 are exempt), a medical certificate with a negative result of a PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before departure, and proof of a fully paid booking for their first night’s stay at government-approved hotels to wait for a negative result from a PCR test taken upon arrival. With negative results, travellers can go anywhere in Thailand. All travellers must register their details at the Thailand Travel Pass website at least seven days before departure and purchase a minimum per person US$50,000 travel insurance to cover medical expenses, including Covid-19 treatment.

Bali:

Bali has recently opened to fully vaccinated travellers from 19 countries, who must quarantine in hotels for five days and follow strict visa requirements under new entry rules. Australia is not one of them, although there are indications that it will soon be added. But there are currently no direct flights from anywhere in Australia.

Potential disruptions:

It is important to remember that most airlines are adding their own requirements in addition to those of destination countries. All are requiring mask-wearing in airports and for the duration of flights, except when you are eating. For flights to and from the US this applies to children as young as two. All airlines operating into and out of Australia are also requiring PCR tests and in some instances you may be asked to take a rapid antigen test requiring a negative result before you board. You also need to factor in the extra time and hassle with all the Covid-related checks while travelling.

Insurance:

Finding travel insurance that will cover Covid-related medical expenses overseas and cancellations due to Covid illness, not to mention lockdowns or government restrictions, is a monumental task. Suffice to say, there will likely be tears and unexpected costs involved.

Covid-related risks:

You also need to factor in the risk of getting Covid-19 while travelling overseas and the costs involved of extending your stay in a hotel or managed facility, or, in the worst case, an ICU in a foreign hospital, until you can get a negative test and return to Australia.

And it is always possible that another international outbreak will occur while you are overseas and Australia will close its borders again. You will need enough resilience and a significant budget set aside to allow for an extended overseas sojourn.

For peace of mind, in these constantly changing circumstances, it may be worth using the services of a travel agent. They are not only across all the latest travel logistics and government requirements but are also equipped to help with refunds should you have to cancel or change your travel plans.

At this point in time there are approximately 35,000 Australian Citizens and Premanent Residents stranded overseas, awaiting repatriation into Australia and this is going to take some time.  This, along with the variance in Australia’s State Border restrictions will have a significant impact on skilled migration for oversees workers, however once the backlog is cleared and a more consistent State Border policy is implemented then free access will eventuate.

If you are desirous of starting a new life adventure in Australia then Contact us for a confidential discussion and refer family, friends and colleagues and be rewarded.

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Filed Under: aristos, Australia, Blog Tagged With: australia, covid19, immigration

Welcome To The Aristos Group

2 December, 2019

OUR SERVICE OFFERING IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR

Healthcare professionals are currently in high demand in Australia and this trend is predicted to continue far into the future. In fact current workforce planning projections estimate by the year 2025 Australia’s shortfall in the nursing profession alone will be 100,000+.

Although the career opportunities are numerous and varied, there are a vast range of other factors to be taken into account when deciding whether the move is a good one.

Furthermore just getting yourself recruitment ready takes a lot of work, knowledge and coordination. It can be a mine field deconstructing the process requirements and becoming compliant to be able to practice in Australia.  That’s where we come in.

This is our service offering and commitment to you when you embark on the journey with us.

We are currently working with a number and range of healthcare providers in Australia who are seeking healthcare professionals and medical practitioners across a broad range of skills and qualifications.

For candidates, history demonstrates the process will take some time to secure the registrations necessary to practice in Australia.  It is difficult to quantify the time it will exactly take, as it very much depends on how responsive you the candidate is, and the amount of time it will take service providers your side to provide you with the information you require, such as copies of qualifications, practice history evidence etc.  Furthermore the registration authorities in Australia take varying amounts of time to process your application dependent upon their prevailing workload.

Once we are in possession of the information we require from you, we work with our clients to pursue the best possible position(s) for you, based upon insights you provide us, and ideally provide you with a range of options.  We do this concurrently with the application process to ideally have the registration process and position opportunities coincide, resulting in a successful conclusion for all parties. 

Having international representation including Australia, enables us to provide you with a highly customised and personal service.  We work closely with you along the entire journey.  Our service offering includes:

  1. Providing you with all the information and support to enable you to make an informed decision regarding career opportunities and your future.
  2. Providing you with access to proprietary online resources, enabling you to deconstruct the complexity and streamline the processes required, to enable you and those important to you to transition to a new and exciting part of your life. This includes suites of online tutorials to assist you in:
    1. Preparing an outstanding and compliant CV, that not only complies with the requirements of the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA), but also presents you favourably to prospective employers.
    2. Deconstructing the complexity and streamlining the processes required to achieve AHPRA registration. This process is highly complex and our system deconstructs it to a simple step by step process.
    3. Preparing and coaching you for arguably the most important part of the process – The interview.
  3. Regularly providing you with up to date information, intelligence and career opportunities through social media channels.
  4. Being available to you for personal contact.
  5. Collating and preparing your documentation and information, which includes your qualifications, skills and experience as well as your unique personal circumstances, and presenting that in a professional manner on your behalf.
  6. Where possible negotiating corporate discounts for you with service providers required during the entire process.
  7. Assisting you in the AHPRA registration process by being your “Authorised Agent” in Australia. This enables us to communicate with AHPRA on your behalf whilst they are considering your application, reducing time and stress for you.
  8. Meeting with prospective employers to not only pursue the best possible career option for you, but also pursue the best possible options that give consideration to your unique personal circumstances, such as broader family considerations.
  9. Finding you position(s) to apply for.
  10. Arranging and coaching you for the interview.
  11. Negotiating the best possible employment conditions, including relocation allowance and reimbursement of AHPRA registration expenses, if and when you are successful at interview.
  12. Providing you with necessary information to prepare for your move.
  13. Assisting you in domiciling into your new environment when you arrive.
  14. Longer term career care once you are established here.

The cost of this service to you is absolutely zero.

So potentially the only thing standing between you and fantastic career opportunities, great lifestyle and a secure future for you and your family, is contacting us for a free confidential consultation. See our contact details and links below.

Why not “Come Live Our Philosophy”

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Filed Under: aristos, Blog, Healthcare Sector Tagged With: doctor, healthcare, immigration, midwife, nurse, recruitment

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