Coronavirus travel - advice please

[Brucolino]

Hi all,

I have been living in Melbs for 2.5 years now but have loved ones overseas that I'm really needing to see. My partner is also overseas due to mother in law being unwell with cancer. The current situation I'm in is we had to cancel my Easter travel and will most likely need to cancel summer travel plans due to the persisting travel restricitons. 

I'm not wanting to leave Australia but if the situation does not change in the next few months I will most likely need to as I can't maintain this distance for a year+. Is international travel even possible at the moment? Can anybody offer any advice as to when I should be attempting to do it? I.e. should I start planning my relocation asap so that I get out sooner rather than later or should I wait it out and hope things will improve over the next few months (over the summer perhaps)?

Any thoughts/advice appreciated - thanks all

[Nemesis]

28 minutes ago, Brucolino said:

Hi all,

I have been living in Melbs for 2.5 years now but have loved ones overseas that I'm really needing to see. My partner is also overseas due to mother in law being unwell with cancer. The current situation I'm in is we had to cancel my Easter travel and will most likely need to cancel summer travel plans due to the persisting travel restricitons. 

I'm not wanting to leave Australia but if the situation does not change in the next few months I will most likely need to as I can't maintain this distance for a year+. Is international travel even possible at the moment? Can anybody offer any advice as to when I should be attempting to do it? I.e. should I start planning my relocation asap so that I get out sooner rather than later or should I wait it out and hope things will improve over the next few months (over the summer perhaps)?

Any thoughts/advice appreciated - thanks all

You will need to apply for an exemption in order to leave the country - the illness may be sufficient reason for a compassionate exemption grant.

Its the price you pay for being an expat, some of us are now faced with sending years away from our partners and all of our family members. 

[Brucolino]

2 hours ago, Nemesis said:

You will need to apply for an exemption in order to leave the country - the illness may be sufficient reason for a compassionate exemption grant.

Its the price you pay for being an expat, some of us are now faced with sending years away from our partners and all of our family members. 

Hi Nemesis,

Thanks for your reply.

Can I ask: What makes you say we are faced with spending years apart? Is this a pragmatic expectation that travel restrictions will persist for over a year(s) ? Or a hypothesis? Do you reckon there will be any improvement before this?

Admittedly I am suffering severe anxiety over the prospect of relocation vs being separated from my loved ones for the forseeable future

Edited April 29, 2020 by Brucolino

[Nemesis]

23 hours ago, Brucolino said:

Hi Nemesis,

Thanks for your reply.

Can I ask: What makes you say we are faced with spending years apart? Is this a pragmatic expectation that travel restrictions will persist for over a year(s) ? Or a hypothesis? Do you reckon there will be any improvement before this?

Admittedly I am suffering severe anxiety over the prospect of relocation vs being separated from my loved ones for the forseeable future

Highly unlikely to be international travel at all for the next 18 months except in exceptional circumstances. Even after that they are talking of people needing to pass medicals before flying, and being quarantined on arrival - which pretty much makes holidays impossible with 2 weeks quarantine at each end. Two years since I saw most of my family, I was due to go home and visit them in February bur that as obviously impossible. I have medical conditions which mean I would never get a clean bill of health, difficulty in walking being one of them so its possible I will never be able to fly again if they insist on a medical. And with a husband working on the other side of the world and unable to visit me at present either, a divorce seems to be on the horizon 

[Mcguinnessp1968]

You will need to apply for an exemption in order to leave the country - the illness may be sufficient reason for a compassionate exemption grant.
Its the price you pay for being an expat, some of us are now faced with sending years away from our partners and all of our family members. 

Hardly years

That’s just scaremongering you have no foundation whatsoever for that comment

[Brucolino]

Truth is this entire situation is unprecedented and nobody really knows how long it will last.

I keep reading and hearing from many that realistically this will last for the next 18-24 months and it's causing me massive anxiety. I am literally having nightmares related to the lockdown.. I'm hoping I will have a better indication in the next couple of months of when I might be able to travel. I'm not concerned about being allowed to return to Europe but about Australia's borders being closed.  If the situation has not changed by the end of the summer I will need to leave Australia.

I'm just stressed of potentially not being able to. Should I be getting in touch with the British embassy? Do I need to receive approval? Will any flights even be operating? And based on this - should I be planning to leave Australia sooner or wait and see? .. so much uncertainty it's driving me insane

15 minutes ago, Mcguinnessp1968 said:

Hardly years

That’s just scaremongering you have no foundation whatsoever for that comment

 

[Mcguinnessp1968]

Truth is this entire situation is unprecedented and nobody really knows how long it will last.
I keep reading and hearing from many that realistically this will last for the next 18-24 months and it's causing me massive anxiety. I am literally having nightmares related to the lockdown.. I'm hoping I will have a better indication in the next couple of months of when I might be able to travel. I'm not concerned about being allowed to return to Europe but about Australia's borders being closed.  If the situation has not changed by the end of the summer I will need to leave Australia.
I'm just stressed of potentially not being able to. Should I be getting in touch with the British embassy? Do I need to receive approval? Will any flights even be operating? And based on this - should I be planning to leave Australia sooner or wait and see? .. so much uncertainty it's driving me insane [emoji20]
 

Where are you hoping to travel to and why?

I presume you’re originally from Europe?

[Quoll]

7 minutes ago, Brucolino said:

Truth is this entire situation is unprecedented and nobody really knows how long it will last.

I keep reading and hearing from many that realistically this will last for the next 18-24 months and it's causing me massive anxiety. I am literally having nightmares related to the lockdown.. I'm hoping I will have a better indication in the next couple of months of when I might be able to travel. I'm not concerned about being allowed to return to Europe but about Australia's borders being closed.  If the situation has not changed by the end of the summer I will need to leave Australia.

I'm just stressed of potentially not being able to. Should I be getting in touch with the British embassy? Do I need to receive approval? Will any flights even be operating? And based on this - should I be planning to leave Australia sooner or wait and see? .. so much uncertainty it's driving me insane

 

Are you an Australian citizen?  If so you would need to apply for an exemption - if you are a dual citizen you could always say you are going home.  If you arent a citizen then you can leave any time you like as long as there are planes in the sky.  There are still flights to London, you could leave tomorrow if you are that anxious

[Brucolino]

2 minutes ago, Mcguinnessp1968 said:

Where are you hoping to travel to and why?

I presume you’re originally from Europe?

Yes - my partner is stuck overseas due to mother in law being unwell with cancer and was due to fly back to Australia which has now been cancelled. We were hoping we could re-plan for him to travel over the summer but it's looking impossible. My only options now are I either Australia all together or spend the next year(s) apart.. which is really not an option at all.

Neither of us are AUS citizens..

[Nemesis]

42 minutes ago, Mcguinnessp1968 said:

Hardly years

That’s just scaremongering you have no foundation whatsoever for that comment

for me it has already been 2 years and no prospect of getting home for at minimum another 12 months. So that is reality, not scaremongering.  

[Nemesis]

6 minutes ago, Brucolino said:

Yes - my partner is stuck overseas due to mother in law being unwell with cancer and was due to fly back to Australia which has now been cancelled. We were hoping we could re-plan for him to travel over the summer but it's looking impossible. My only options now are I either Australia all together or spend the next year(s) apart.. which is really not an option at all.

Neither of us are AUS citizens..

The fact you are not citizens goes in your favour, you do not need permission to leave. 

[Mcguinnessp1968]

The fact you are not citizens goes in your favour, you do not need permission to leave. 

But for the moment won’t be able to get back which could be a major issue

[Mcguinnessp1968]

Yes - my partner is stuck overseas due to mother in law being unwell with cancer and was due to fly back to Australia which has now been cancelled. We were hoping we could re-plan for him to travel over the summer but it's looking impossible. My only options now are I either Australia all together or spend the next year(s) apart.. which is really not an option at all.

Neither of us are AUS citizens..

As nemesis says, as a non Aus citizen you are free to leave at any time

[Brucolino]

Just now, Mcguinnessp1968 said:

 

As nemesis says, as a non Aus citizen you are free to leave at any time 

 

Thank you both,

Knowing this actually gives me some piece of mind. The whole situation sucks but I wouldn't think twice about prioritising my relationship over Australia. Just can't believe this is all actually happening

[Mcguinnessp1968]

Thank you both,
Knowing this actually gives me some piece of mind. The whole situation sucks but I wouldn't think twice about prioritising my relationship over Australia. Just can't believe this is all actually happening

Yeah it’s not ideal that’s for sure. I feel bad for you being separated from your family especially at a time like this. In the end you have to think about your health and well being

However what I would say is that there are a lot of presumptions being made about when international travel will restart. No one know the answer to that on here

[Brucolino]

15 minutes ago, Nemesis said:

for me it has already been 2 years and no prospect of getting home for at minimum another 12 months. So that is reality, not scaremongering.  

That sounds awful. Hope you can both get through this

[Toots]

1 hour ago, Nemesis said:

for me it has already been 2 years and no prospect of getting home for at minimum another 12 months. So that is reality, not scaremongering.  

Where are you Nemesis and where is home?

[Gbye grey sky]

1 hour ago, Nemesis said:

for me it has already been 2 years and no prospect of getting home for at minimum another 12 months. So that is reality, not scaremongering.  

I tend towards negativity too and in your position I would probably be speculating the same.

However with the benefit of being able to rationalise this dispassionately I do think that the prospects may be better than you are assuming.

Whilst much will depend on a vaccine I am sure that ways will be found to open up international travel well within 12 months.

[AliQ]

2 hours ago, Mcguinnessp1968 said:

However what I would say is that there are a lot of presumptions being made about when international travel will restart. No one know the answer to that on here

Exactly. We're in the UK waiting to get back to Queensland (we are AUS citizens). Singapore Airlines are now showing flights to Brisbane starting July, but it's way too early to know whether those flights will go ahead or not.

But until the UK "gets going" we're stuck anyway as we need to sell the car and wait for the International Removal company to return to work. 

[rammygirl]

3 hours ago, Brucolino said:

Thank you both,

Knowing this actually gives me some piece of mind. The whole situation sucks but I wouldn't think twice about prioritising my relationship over Australia. Just can't believe this is all actually happening

Does your visa still have travel rights? How long for? Better ensure you have a means to resume residence in Australia along with your partner. You may need to apply for RRVs.

[Brucolino]

Hi all,

So my plan to leave Australia was not as simple as initially suggested. I've discovered that as a Permanent Resident I am not allowed to leave Australia - it is completely banned for both PR's and citizens: https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/leaving-australia

Simon Birmingham made an announcement yesterday that international borders will remain closed till at least 2021. With my partner still stuck overseas, at this point I just need to get out of this country.

I contacted the British Consulate in Melbourne which gave me an automated message to select from the follow 3 options:

• Option 1: VISA info - directed me to their website and hung up the call
• Option 2: Passport info - directed me to their website and hung up the call
• Option 3: Is literally for emergency assistance if you've been arrested or detained overseas ...

I then contacted the British Embassy Foreign and Commonwealth Office. They were completely clueless. The guy said "Flights from Australia to UK are operational, just fly back" .... I tried explaining the PR situation and he's now asked me to put everything down in writing so that my case can be 'analysed'.

Does anyone on here have any recommendations on how to get out of Australia? At this point I don't even care about my PR - happy to revoke it. But how does this all work? 'homeaffairs.gov.au' talks about applying for an exception if you fall under the following:

But then says the application must be supported by a plethora of evidence to support your claims. Do I need to consult with an immigration lawyer? Is there a way I can revoke my PR VISA?

Edited June 18, 2020 by Brucolino

[Nemesis]

21 minutes ago, Brucolino said:

Hi all,

So my plan to leave Australia was not as simple as initially suggested. I've discovered that as a Permanent Resident I am not allowed to leave Australia - it is completely banned for both PR's and citizens: https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/leaving-australia

Simon Birmingham made an announcement yesterday that international borders will remain closed till at least 2021. With my partner still stuck overseas, at this point I just need to get out of this country.

I contacted the British Consulate in Melbourne which gave me an automated message to select from the follow 3 options:

• Option 1: VISA info - directed me to their website and hung up the call
• Option 2: Passport info - directed me to their website and hung up the call
• Option 3: Is literally for emergency assistance if you've been arrested or detained overseas ...

I then contacted the British Embassy Foreign and Commonwealth Office. They were completely clueless. The guy said "Flights from Australia to UK are operational, just fly back" .... I tried explaining the PR situation and he's now asked me to put everything down in writing so that my case can be 'analysed'.

Does anyone on here have any recommendations on how to get out of Australia? At this point I don't even care about my PR - happy to revoke it. But how does this all work? 'homeaffairs.gov.au' talks about applying for an exception if you fall under the following:

But then says the application must be supported by a plethora of evidence to support your claims. Do I need to consult with an immigration lawyer? Is there a way I can revoke my PR VISA?

I would suggest speaking to a registered migration agent and see if they can build a case for you to get an exemption. 

[Brucolino]

8 hours ago, Nemesis said:

I would suggest speaking to a registered migration agent and see if they can build a case for you to get an exemption. 

Are there any migration agents on this site who can give me some direction?

[Marisawright]

9 hours ago, Brucolino said:

So my plan to leave Australia was not as simple as initially suggested. I've discovered that as a Permanent Resident I am not allowed to leave Australia

Yes, you are right.

I'm very confused about why you're asking the British Consulate about this. It has nothing to do with them.   Your right to leave Australia is checked when you get on the plane in Australia, not when you get off the plane in the UK.

All you have to do is apply for permission to travel on compassionate grounds.   Write a statement explaining that your partner's mother is dying of cancer and you need to be there to provide support to her and your partner (this may not be precisely true but it is more convincing than just saying you want to be with your partner).   Provide a statement from your partner saying the same thing.   And a medical certificate for your MIL's illness. 

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/departmental-forms/online-forms/covid19-enquiry-form

[Brucolino]

5 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Yes, you are right.

I'm very confused about why you're asking the British Consulate about this. It has nothing to do with them.   Your right to leave Australia is checked when you get on the plane in Australia, not when you get off the plane in the UK.

All you have to do is apply for permission to travel on compassionate grounds.   Write a statement explaining that your partner's mother is dying of cancer and you need to be there to provide support to her and your partner (this may not be precisely true but it is more convincing than just saying you want to be with your partner).   Provide a statement from your partner saying the same thing.   And a medical certificate for your MIL's illness. 

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/departmental-forms/online-forms/covid19-enquiry-form

Thanks for your reply Marisa,

As a British citizen I assumed they would have advice on repatriating their citizens. 

Do I need to provide evidence of permanent relocation out of Australia? What about evidence of my relationship to my partner (as we are not married). I've heard they are very strict with issuing approval for travel.

Has anyone submitted an excemption requested and been successful that can offer some advice please?