Who are getting exemptions for Inbound and Outbound Travel?

As a result of the COVID-19 situation, Australia’s borders remain closed and both inbound and outbound travel from Australia is strictly controlled. These border controls affect the movement of most individuals, including those who hold permanent residency or citizenship status. All individuals who seek to leave the country (except a small few given automatic exemption such as airline crew or safety workers) must apply to be given an individual exemption. While these measures are a key component in curbing the spread of the COVID-19 virus, they can be challenging to navigate for those seeking to reunite with family members or travel for other purposes.

Related:

• New travel exemption added for Australians leaving Australia
• Covid-19: travel exemptions determined by the commissioner (coming to Australia)
• Travelling outside Australia during covid-19 for dual citizens

The Australian Government has released more information on which types of exemption requests have been successfully granted over the past year. By taking a closer look at these statistics, we are able to obtain a clearer understanding of which sort of movement the Australian government is willing to allow on a case-by-case basis.

Inbound Travel Exemptions from March 2020 to May 2021

Different Visa Subclasses Coming to Australia

As can be understood from the graph above, almost a third of the total 33,000 travel exemptions approved are to holders of the 482 temporary skill shortage visa. The government seems to be prioritising this type of migration in order to address labour shortages and encourage essential work flows. The types of visa holders who are most likely to be granted exemptions are therefore those who work in sectors which the government deems critical.

On 2nd September the government released a new Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL), which contains 44 skilled occupations that the Australian government has assessed to fill critical skills needs to support Australia’s economic recovery from COVID-19. Existing skilled migration occupation lists will remain active and visas will still be processed, but priority will be given to those in occupations on the PMSOL.

Inbound Travel based on Country of Citizenship

According to information released by the Australian Government, the largest amount of travel exemptions have been granted to New Zealand citizens, with 154, 829 granted in total. Following behind this, the government has granted a total of 71, 950 exemptions to Chinese citizens, 65,981 exemptions to US citizens and 65,903 to UK citizens. You can view the full list of countries here.

Outbound travel exemptions between August 2020 and April 2021

Automatic Exemptions

The Government has revealed that over 12, 909 of 17, 017 automatically exempt applicants were Australian residents outside of the country. Other categories which received automatic exemptions include; NZ citizens holding a special category subclass 444 visa, temporary visa holders, those travelling on official government business, airline and maritime crew or associated safety workers and those whose travel is associated with essential work at offshore facilities

Reasons for Exemption

The Government has revealed that, between 1 August 2020 and 25 April 2021, they have approved over 119, 922 requests for travel exemptions out of the 208, 791 requests received. Among the top reasons for travel exemption selected by the applicant are ‘travelling overseas for a compelling reason for at least three months’, ‘travelling on compassionate and compelling grounds’ and ‘travel essential for the conduct of critical business.’

Intended Destination Country

Between 1 August 2020 and 25 April 2021 the Government has granted has granted the most amount of travel exemptions to travellers seeking to fly outbound from Australia to China, India and the United Kingdom. It is worth noting that although 12, 973 exemptions have been approved to China, over 25, 443 requests to travel to China were received. Comparatively, while the government has granted 10, 703 exemptions to the U.K, only 15, 703 requests to travel to the U.K were received.

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For COVID-19 visa related travel questions / 408 visa eligibility you can book a time here:

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If you would like a comprehensive consultation which includes assessing you for other temporary and permanent visa options (Skilled visas, Employer Sponsored, Partner, etc.) as well, we recommend our standard 45 minute to 1 hour consultation which can be scheduled here:

https://visaenvoy.as.me/skype (45 min- $150)