WA Border Opening Plan revealed on 5/11/2021.

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WA Border Opening Plan revealed on 5/11/2021.

Finally,

The Western Australian Government has just announced 5 February 2022 as the State’s official border reopening date to international and interstate travellers!

Update 13 December 2021

Fully vaccinated international students will be able to travel to Western Australia from Saturday 5 Feb 2022, provided they meet the State’s entry requirements.
We are ready to welcome you back to Western Australia from Saturday 5 February 2022.
This is the date we’ve all been waiting for and we are already preparing to welcome international students back to Perth soon.
It’s also fantastic news for onshore students who have not seen their friends and family for almost two years.
Thanks to StudyPerth for the email.

WA’s Safe Transition Plan has been released.

WA Border Opening Plan revealed on 5/11/2021.

Ref: https://www.wa.gov.au/government/announcements/was-safe-transition-plan

The Plan outlines safe conditions for interstate and international travel, and provides certainty on how businesses and WA’s way of life can continue safely with the introduction public health and social measures once COVID-19 enters WA’s community.

With a 90 per cent double dose rate (12 years and older), expected in late January/early February, WA’s controlled border will be eased to allow for international and interstate travel from all jurisdictions, with testing and vaccination requirements.

Interstate arrivals will be required to:

  • be double dose vaccinated (for eligible people)
  • return a negative PCR test 72 hours before departure
  • undertake a test on arrival in WA (to be phased out, pending a review)

International arrivals will be required to:

  • be double dose vaccinated (for eligible people)
  • return a negative PCR test 72 hours before departure
  • undertake a test on arrival (to be phased out, pending a review)
  • complete 14 days quarantine in a designated facility (if high risk, e.g. unvaccinated people)
More to read on https://www.wa.gov.au/government/announcements/was-safe-transition-plan

And if interested to check dashboard daily, please visit COVID-19 Coronavirus: Vaccination dashboard


Further read:

Western Australia prepares to welcome international students in 2022

Ref: https://www.studyperth.com.au/

05 November 2021

The Premier’s announcement this morning paves the way for a potential return of international students in Western Australia from Semester 1 next year.

As you may already be aware, the Western Australian Government has today confirmed the roadmap for the reopening of our borders with the first fully vaccinated international arrivals, including international students, set to be welcomed to Perth from February 2022 subject to Western Australia achieving a 90% double vaccination rate. Once the State achieves 80% which is predicted to occur in December, the date of the border opening will be announced.

Recent labour force data highlight once again that Western Australia’s economy is the strongest in the nation, with employment rates at an all-time high and record jobs growth. So, international students arriving in Perth in 2022 will enjoy unprecedented opportunities to gain meaningful employment while studying and then great prospects for their career or business.

The State Government has made it clear that the safety of all Western Australians remains the highest priority but is confident the timing is right to ease border restrictions. It also helps WA’s international education sector to align with our counterparts in other Australian states and territories and will stimulate the active planning for the safe return of international students, who we all know make such a valuable contribution to our community.

Since July 2020, StudyPerth has been working closely with Western Australia’s international education sector to develop a comprehensive and detailed Plan for the safe return of international students. The Plan has been revised and updated to ensure alignment with the National Plan to manage Australia’s transition to living with COVID-19.

The StudyPerth team and member institutions are in regular contact with our counterparts in other states and territories regarding our respective plans. We share the nation’s ambition to restore safe pathways to Australia for international students as soon as possible and we are very much part of the national effort to make this happen.
A Project Team has been actively consulting with the relevant State and Federal Government agencies, including the Western Australian Chief Health Officer, to address the preconditions for the safe resumption of international student arrivals in Perth.
We remain committed to the safe return of international students and we aim to keep you up-to-date with all new developments.
Visit www.studyperth.com.au/safereturn for more information.

Further update by StudyPerth on 11/11/2021

Western Australia will be welcoming back fully vaccinated international students in time for Semester 1 2022, in line with the rest of the nation.
Following the announcement of WA’s Safe Transition Plan last Friday, Education Minister, Sue Ellery, convened a meeting of education leaders to confirm the conditions for the safe return of international students to WA.
Once the State achieves an 80% double vaccination rate, which is anticipated to occur in December, the official date of the border opening will be announced by the WA Government.
Minister Ellery confirmed that WA’s Safe Transition Plan anticipated a reopening date in late January or early February 2022, which would allow eligible international students to arrive in time for Semester 1 2022 or to commence any required English language tuition or other preparatory courses before Semester 2.
When entering WA, double-vaccinated international students will not be required to quarantine as long as they return a negative PCR test 72 hours prior to departure and complete a G2G pass.
Non double-vaccinated international students will not be permitted to enter WA.
StudyPerth’s CEO Philip Payne advised, “We’ll be able to return a small number of students for Semester 1 around the same time as the rest of the country, and the industry nationally should normalise by Semester 2.”
“This timeline effectively puts us on the same timeframe as the rest of the international student market in Australia,” Minister Ellery noted.
In preparation for the WA border opening, the WA Government is leading an aviation revival plan to support the return of both international students and tourists to Western Australia.
With one of the strongest economies in the world and a well-deserved reputation as a COVID-safe destination, WA will be at an advantage in attracting international students in 2022. Minister Ellery emphasised this point, “The product… we will be able to offer parents is significantly different to what the east coast can offer.”
International students have always been a vibrant and valued part of the Western Australian community, bringing with them cultural diversity and many of the skills and global connections that will allow our economy to further strengthen. A thriving international education sector creates jobs in all parts of the economy, benefitting and enriching the state.
To prepare for their return to WA, international students should:
  • Ensure they are fully vaccinated with a TGA approved vaccine
  • Contact their travel agent and start looking into their travel arrangements to WA
  • Understand their local COVID-19 testing arrangements
  • Understand how to get a G2G pass 
Full details of the Plan will be made available as we reach the next vaccination milestone in mid-December. We look forward to being able to provide you with more updates.
All the best,
StudyPerth Team

Update from Prime Minister of Australia office

22 Nov 2021

Exciting news just announced today, fully vaccinated international students will be welcomed back to Australia from 1st December, announced by Prime Minister of Australia.
MEDIA STATEMENT
22 Nov 2021
Prime Minister

Australia continues to take further steps to safely reopen to the world, with additional changes to our international border arrangements coming into effect on 1 December.

Consistent with the National Plan to safely reopen Australia, these changes will ensure we continue to protect the health of Australians, while reuniting families and securing our economic recovery by opening our border to skilled and student visa holders.

From 1 December 2021, fully vaccinated eligible visa holders can come to Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption. Eligible visa holders include skilled and student cohorts, as well as humanitarian, working holiday maker and provisional family visa holders.

Under these arrangements, travellers must:

  • Be fully vaccinated with a completed dosage of a vaccine approved or recognised by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)
  • Hold a valid visa for one of the eligible visa subclasses
  • Provide proof of their vaccination status
  • Present a negative COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test taken within three days of departure.

Travellers to Australia must comply with the quarantine requirements in the state or territory of their arrival, and any other state or territory to which they plan to travel.

The return of skilled workers and international students to Australia will further cement our economic recovery, providing the valuable workers our economy needs and supporting our important education sector.

From 1 December 2021, Australia will also welcome back fully vaccinated citizens from Japan and the Republic of Korea. Under these arrangements, citizens of Japan and the Republic of Korea who hold a valid Australian visa will be able to travel from their home country quarantine-free to participating states and territories, without needing to seek a travel exemption.

Under these arrangements, travellers must:

  • Depart from their home country
  • Be fully vaccinated with a completed dosage of a vaccine approved or recognised by the TGA
  • Hold a valid Australian visa
  • Provide proof of their vaccination status
  • Present a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within three days of departure.

Today’s announcement follows earlier changes which have seen us welcome home fully vaccinated Australians, permanent residents and their immediate family members since 1 November, and follows the commencement of the Singapore safe travel zone yesterday.

These changes demonstrate the success of our National Plan, as the Government continues to get Australia back to normal and reopen to the world safely.

New arrangements for eligible visa holders
From 1 December 2021, fully vaccinated eligible visa holders can now travel to Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption. Eligible visa holders are people who hold the following visas:
Visa
Subclass 200 – Refugee visa
Subclass 201 – In-country Special Humanitarian visa
Subclass 202 – Global Special Humanitarian visa
Subclass 203 – Emergency Rescue visa
Subclass 204 – Woman at Risk visa
Subclass 300 – Prospective Marriage visa
Subclass 400 – Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visa
Subclass 403 – Temporary Work (International Relations) visa (other streams, including Australian Agriculture Visa stream)
Subclass 407 – Training visa
Subclass 408 – Temporary Activity visa
Subclass 417 – Working Holiday visa
Subclass 449 – Humanitarian Stay (Temporary) visa
Subclass 457 – Temporary Work (Skilled) visa
Subclass 461 – New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship visa
Subclass 462 – Work and Holiday visa
Subclass 476 – Skilled – Recognised Graduate visa
Subclass 482 – Temporary Skill Shortage visa
Subclass 485 – Temporary Graduate visa
Subclass 489 – Skilled – Regional (Provisional) visa
Subclass 491 – Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa
Subclass 494 – Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa
Subclass 500 – Student visa
Subclass 580 – Student Guardian visa (closed to new applicants)
Subclass 590 – Student Guardian visa
Subclass 785 – Temporary Protection visa
Subclass 790 – Safe Haven Enterprise visa
Subclass 870 – Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa
Subclass 988 – Maritime Crew visa
Note: Additional visa subclasses may be added over time.
This is in addition to the exemptions outlined on: Travel restrictions and exemptions.

Mark McGowan, Western Australia Premier:

1 Dec 2021

Western Australia is one of the safest places in the world, and full of opportunity for everyone.
Our State’s careful and cautious approach to the pandemic has served us well.
But in around a couple of months’ time, in line with our double dose vaccination rate hitting 90 per cent, Western Australia will safely ease border controls with all other States and resume international travel.
Our Safe Transition Plan will be implemented – and we will also need to be ready to welcome back tourists, students and other skilled workers.
That’s why, today I announced our comprehensive $185 million Reconnect WA package to attract tourists, workers and students to what is one of the safest places in the world.
The package includes a $65 million aviation fund, which will go towards re-establishing international and interstate flight routes that were disrupted by the pandemic, as well as targeting new routes including Germany, India, China and Vietnam.
We will also invest heavily in a new targeted $65 million marketing campaign to promote WA around the world.
Incentives will be offered to tourists, international students and workers in order to successfully compete with other global jurisdictions, and we will bring back the business events market – which is essential to filling our hotel rooms, bars and restaurants.
And finally, we will resume our aggressive campaign to secure top-shelf events for WA to ensure that we have the attractions that bring in tourists, like the UFC and European football giants.
While the world is full of uncertainty, especially with the emergence of the Omicron variant, it is important that we have a fully funded, detailed plan in place, ready to go.
Our strong economy and rising vaccination rates mean our State is in an enviable position, and our message to the world is clear:
Western Australia is one of the safest places in the world, and full of opportunity for everyone.

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