Highlights
- Fully vaccinated parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents can travel to Australia from 1 November
- Those eligible will be required to submit proof of relationship with their Australian child as part of their exemption request
- Qantas announces new direct flights from New Delhi to Sydney
From next month, the government will allow vaccinated parents of an Australian citizen or permanent resident to visit from overseas, in a change to travel exemption rules that have been welcomed by the Indian community.
'Very important issue' for the Indian community: PM
Reaffirming that the change will come into effect on 1 November, Prime Minister Scott Morrison acknowledged the importance of the step for Indian Australians, many of whom have been campaigning for the cause ever since the borders were closed to non-citizens and non-residents in March 2020.
"From 1 November if you are Australian residents, citizens and their immediate family, I can confirm that that immediate family will include the parents of Australian residents and citizens.
"And I know, particularly in our Indian community, that has been a very important issue for them, and I know that will be welcome," Mr Morrison said during a press conference in Sydney on Friday.
Travel exemptions for parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents
The rule change would require parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents to apply for a travel exemption as an immediate family member to enter the country through the Department of Home Affairs' exemption portal.
Eligible applicants would also be required to submit proof of their relationship with their adult Australian child to get an inward exemption.
According to DOHA's website, below are examples of evidence that they can submit with their exemption request:
Evidence that your adult child is an Australian citizen or permanent resident, such as:
- Australian passport
- Australian citizenship certificate
- Australian birth certificate
- evidence of permanent residence in Australia.
AND
Evidence of your parental relationship with the Australian citizen or permanent resident, such as
- birth certificate
- adoption certificate
- marriage certificate
- family status certificate or family book if officially issued and maintained.
The website further states that eligible applicants will not be able to travel to Australia unless they have applied for and been granted a travel exemption. 'You will also need a valid visa to enter Australia,' states the DOHA website.
Explaining the process, Melbourne-based migration agent Dipal Rao said the exemption requirement is a "mere formality" to establish the applicant's parental relationship with an Australian.
"This step should not deter parents whose children are Australian citizens or permanent residents from travelling to Australia. However, I think it's a step in the right direction towards opening and should be seen as a part of the visa process. This will help the Department to ensure the rule is not being exploited," she said.
Ms Rao said that the migration industry has been witnessing a significant surge in visitor visa requests for parents of Australians ever since the prime minister announced the decision last week.
"Every day, we are getting three to four clients who want to apply for visitor visas for their parents, even though the rule will only be implemented next week. But anticipating that there will be a long waiting period for their visas to be processed in the coming months, people just do not want to wait, which in my opinion is a wise decision," she added.
Mandy Bindal, who was actively campaigning for parents to be classified as immediate family for travel reasons, said the government needs to provide further clarity around travel and vaccinations.
Mandy Bindal with her husband Anuj and daughters Anvi (L) and Nyra (R). Source: Supplied by Mandy Bindal
"Right now, there is a lot of confusion around travel guidelines. People are applying for visas, not knowing if the destined states would allow them to enter from next month because other than New South Wales, no other jurisdiction has committed to anything in particular for international arrivals. Also, there is ambiguity around approved vaccines which needs to be clarified before travel opens on 1 November," she said.
Ms Bindal who is desperate to reunite with her elderly father said with Qantas announcing direct flights from India, the news has sweetened the deal for the community.
"Right now, the flights from India are too expensive. But with Qantas announcing more options from India, this has come as a huge relief for many families," she added.
Qantas to launch new direct flights from Delhi to Sydney
In a huge reprieve for the community grappling for flight options from India during COVID times, Qantas today announced that it will launch a new route between Sydney and New Delhi on 6 December with three return flights every week.
Qantas has announced it is bringing forward the restart of a range of international flights. Source: AAP
"We're also, very importantly, announcing that we're starting a new service from Sydney to Darwin to Delhi. This is the first time in 10 years that Qantas has gone back into the Indian market," Qantas CEO Alan Joyce announced on Friday.
The Qantas group, in a statement, said the announcement is subject to discussions with Indian authorities to finalise necessary approvals.
"The flights would initially operate until at least late March 2022, with a view to continuing if there is sufficient demand.
"Flights from Sydney to Delhi would operate via Darwin, while flights from Delhi to Sydney would operate nonstop," Qantas said in a statement.
This will be the first time Qantas has operated direct commercial flights from India to Australia since 2009.
Over the past 12 months, the airline has operated over 50 repatriation flights from India on behalf of the Australian Government to bring stranded Australians home.
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