International students can now enter Australia from this December

Australia is ready to welcome Fully vaccinated visa holders and international students from this December. This is one of the biggest changes to Australia‘s border policies since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Highlights of the Announcement

• From the 1st of December 2021, eligible Australian visa holders who are vaccinated against coronavirus can now enter Australia without any requirement of applying for a travel exemption.
• These people still are required to undergo quarantine depending on which state they land in.
• This announcement opens the door for international students, skilled migrants, tourists, and backpackers to fly to Australia.
• Japanese and Korean people who have been double-vaccinated can also enter Australia without any requirement of quarantine from December.
• Those who want to visit Australia should be vaccinated completely with the approved vaccines. They will also need to provide a negative PCR test taken within the maximum of 3 days of departing for Australia.

This is long-awaited news for international students stuck in another country. Mr. Morrison said that this step was possible because 85 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. However, there remain some key challenges including separate state quarantine requirements and the rush to get seats on planes. International students can enter Australia only through a few available programs, such as the pilot programs in NSW and Victoria.