After being shut to international arrivals since March 2020, Australias Prime Minister has announced the country will reopen to select visa holders from 1st December 2021!
So what are the key things you need to know and should you start booking your flights?!
Australia Reopens 1st Dec 2021!
In a press conference on 21st Nov 2021, Prime Minister Scott Morrison outlined the next steps on Australia border policy as the country hit a 85% vaccination rate – which included the news travellers all over the world had been waiting for – Australia will be reopening for tourism!
Amongst the visas no longer need a travel exemption, 3 key visas were included, covering tourism in Australia:
- Working Holiday Visa (417)
- Work and Holiday Visa (462)
- Student Visa (500)
What Else Do You Need To Know?
As with many other parts of the world reopening for tourism, there are a few other things you’ll need to sort before travelling to Australia:
Vaccinations
You’ll need to be fully vaccinated to enter Australia, with a vaccine approved by the TGA
Visa Approval Times
Whilst you might be stoked to book your flight ASAP, you also need to keep in mind that the processing times on these visas is much longer than usual, with the 417 taking around 85 days, or the 462 around 90 days processing time.
…so don’t book your flights quite yet!
Quarantine & State Borders
Currently only New South Wales, Victoria and Australian Capital Territory are quarantine free on arrival, with other states still having mandatory quarantine for up to 2 weeks.
Also, at the moment, there are still restrictions on interstate travel as well – so make sure you keep up to date with those restrictions as you plan your trip too.
Pre Travel Checklist
You’ll also need to make sure you have the following documents all sorted before you board your flight:
- Pre-departure COVID-19 test.
- Foreign vaccination certificate.
- Complete an Australia Travel Declaration (ATD) at least 72 hours before departure.
Time To Start Planning!
With travel opening up, nows the perfect time to start planning your working holiday visa in Australia and our team are here to help you out.
Check out our huge range of trips, tours and packages – including our ever popular Melbourne Working Holiday Package and Sydney Working Holiday Visa Package, both of which include everything you need to kickstart your time down under!
We look forward to welcoming to Australia soon!
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