Novel Coronavirus Update – 12 February 2020

Minister for Health, Greg Hunt has announced that the travel ban imposed due to the Novel Coronavirus will not cease after the initial 14 days as initially indicated by the Australian government.
Ethos Migration Lawyers advise:

• People may not be able to travel to Australia in the short term and should make contingency arrangements during this period

• Countries other than Australia that have instituted travel bans of various types include Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, North and South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Marshall Islands, Fiji, Samoa, PNG, Israel, Mongolia, Russia at the Mongolian border, Myanmar, the United Kingdom and the United States. Flights to China have also been suspended by many airlines, even where the originating country does not have a travel ban.

• International students waiting to commence or return to study in Australia are advised to contact their education provider about what measures have been put in place due to the situation

• If you have been in mainland China from 1 February 2020 and you are not an Australian citizen, permanent resident or an immediate family member (spouse, minor dependent or legal guardian) of an Australian citizen or permanent resident you should not make attempts to travel to Australia at this time

• If you are currently in Australia and you have Condition 8503 imposed on your visa you may be eligible for a waiver of this condition to enable you to make a further visa application in Australia. The Department of Home Affairs has advised that waiver applications are currently taking approximately 28 days to be assessed. It is important that you have a valid visa during the assessment process.

Ethos Migration Lawyers will continue to provide further updates as they become available.