Australian citizens and PR who reside in other countries are now required to get an exemption to leave the country

Australian Federal Government announced that to leave Australia, Australian citizens and permanent residents who usually live overseas must obtain a Leaving Australia Exemption. This arrangement starts from 11 August 2021.

The new arrangement is in response to the latest crackdown on Australia’s international travel. It leads to the current Leaving Australia restriction and is applicable to those Australian Citizens and Permanent Residents and who ordinarily reside in other countries.

There is a transitional period until 7 September 2021 if travellers who arrive at the airport without an exemption will be allowed to travel if their status as an ordinarily resident overseas can be confirmed by the officer at departure.

Previous leaving Australia arrangement for those who reside in other countries

As we know, some Australian citizens and permanent residents might have an employment contract or other situations that require them to live overseas. Since the COVID-19 Pandemic hit Australia, the Government has arranged a leaving Australia exemption for Australian citizens and permanent residents.

However, on the previous leaving Australia exemption, those who ordinarily reside outside Australia were not required to obtain an exemption. Australians who usually live overseas only had to provide their passport to the ABF (Australian Border Force) at the airport before leaving the country.

Read more: Travel Exemption for Australian Citizen and PR COVID-19

Updated leaving Australia exemption

Following the announcement made by Health Minister Greg Hunt on 01 August 2021, all Australian citizens or permanent residents must obtain a leaving Australia exemption, including those who ordinarily live overseas. The new arrangement has been updated on the Department of Home Affairs official website as well.

Starting from 11 August 2021, Australians who ordinarily live overseas must apply for a leaving Australia exemption through the Travel Exemption Portal. There is some supporting evidence that Australians must provide:

• Foreign Government issued documentation, for example, foreign driving licence; foreign Government-issued residency card.
• Evidence you have an established and settled home overseas, for example, tenancy/residential agreement; utility bills, rate notices.
• Evidence you are employed or have ongoing business interests overseas, for example, letter from your employer/employment contract in a foreign country; business tenancy agreement.

Read more: Passenger Cap – The New Arrangements on Australia’s International Travel

How the new exemption affects Australian citizens and PR who reside in other countries

As we know, Australia is one of the greatest countries for migrants from all over the world. Even the key statistics for the year ending 30 June 2020, over 7.6 million migrants live in Australia. Hence, it is possible that most of them also spend or live most of their time outside Australia.

The reasons for living or spending more time overseas might include:

• Employment;
• Family;
• Other circumstances.

The new arrangement for leaving Australia exemption surely affects Australians, especially those who usually spend more time outside Australia. If you have commitments in another country due to, for instance, your employment contract that requires you to live overseas, the new arrangement might concern you.

We are sure that you want to avoid the possibility of not being able to return home, but at the same time, you need to leave the country to work so that you can provide the best for your family. Hence, there might not be a win-win situation at this moment.

We understand your concern, and we are ready to help you

We understand your concern about the new arrangement for leaving Australia exemption. ONE derland Consulting is ready to help you in finding the best answer for your situation.

We also understand that applying for a visa to Australia is certainly very complicated. It is even more challenging during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our visa specialists at ONE derland Consulting will help you assess your visa options. We have a 98% success rate and are one of the most highly recommended migration agents in Australia. Read our 4.9* score customer reviews.

We are complex visa specialists. As registered Australian migration agents with the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA), we are regulated in our professional practice and bound by the profession’s Code of Conduct issued by the Migration Agents Registration Authority.

Take the first leap and get in touch with us. Our migration agents are professional, honest and our team members are able to speak various languages such as Mandarin/ Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia, Arabic, Japanese, Polish, German and Russian. Contact us through email at [email protected] or via phone on 1300 827 159. Alternatively, you may book your consultation online and it is 100% refundable if you become our client.