Australia Opens Borders for International Students

Christmas came early for students aspiring to study in Australia. After nearly 2 years of one of the most stringent travel restrictions, the Australian Government finally lifted the travel ban for eligible passengers, including international students, from December 15. The Australian Government's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly, issued a statement regarding changes to international travel arrangements, "We are [Australia] opening up to international skilled and student cohorts, humanitarian, working holiday makers and provisional family visa holders. 

In a conversation with radio station 4BC, Prime Minister Scott Morrison seemed confident about vaccination in Australia so far. He said, "We've got one of the highest vaccination rates, which means we can fight this thing. We don't have to surrender to it."

So far, Australia has given nearly 90% of its population above 16 both vaccines to protect against COVID-19 and shortened waiting time for booster shots after the emergence of omicron cases.

Previously, the ban was supposed to be lifted on December 1 but was extended until December 15 due to the growing number of Omicron cases. Now that the ban has been lifted, students wishing to study in Australia can now go there to pursue their study programs.

However, to fly to Australia, students will have to adhere to the Covid-19 guidelines set by the Australian Government. As per the guidelines, the travelers must be fully vaccinated with approved vaccination recognized by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and hold a valid visa for one of the eligible visa subclasses.

Here is the list of recognized vaccination for traveling to Australia

• Coronavac (Sinovac)
• Covidshield (AstraZeneca - Serum Institute of India)
• BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm China)
• Covaxin (Bharat Biotech)

Before traveling to Australia, travelers will have to provide proof of their vaccination status as well as submit a negative COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test within three days.

India Signs Air Bubble Agreement with Australia

Meanwhile, India and Australia have signed an air bubble agreement under which eligible passengers from both countries will be allowed to travel. During a pandemic, a bilateral air bubble is a way for resuming flights between two countries with the preconditions

Australian airline Qantas has started flying between Sydney and New Delhi. Before Christmas, the airline plans to start flights between New Delhi and Melbourne.

Before the Indian Government suspended scheduled overseas flights, Air India operated direct commercial flights connecting New Delhi with Melbourne and Sydney.

According to the news, flights between India and Australia will resume in the coming days.

Every state in Australia has set additional arrival conditions; therefore, students planning to study in Australia are highly recommended to consult with Australia study visa experts at Pyramid eServices. 

Pyramid is India's leading study abroad consultancy serving study abroad aspirants through its various branches situated in Jalandhar, Moga, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Pathankot, Patiala, Bathinda, Chandigarh, New Delhi and Kochi. Interested Students can contact by calling at 92563-92563 or visiting the nearest branches.