Maherw2 Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 Good morning, I have a job offer as an Emergency Department doctor (resident medical officer, not a specialist) to start very soon and need to apply for a 482 visa, along with my spouse. I have never been to Australia and live in a country with a very low number of Covid cases. I realised that I would not only need a Visa but also a travel exemption to actually travel to Australia. Would anyone know, how hard is it for a doctor (and/or their spouse) to get a travel exemption? The cost of a visa for both of us is very high and I am hesitant to pay it if we only have a tiny chance that the travel exemption will be granted, as it appears that we cannot apply for an exemption without having applied for the Visa. We've had no help after calling the Home Affairs, but the employer is happy to issue a letter stating that I am required to start in the Australian hospital soon. Any advice would be much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 Temporary visa holders are not allowed entry to Australia at present. The Commissioner of the Australian Border Force (ABF) may consider an additional exemption in relation to the travel restrictions currently in place for: foreign nationals travelling at the invitation of the Australian Commonwealth Government for the purpose of assisting in the COVID-19 response or whose entry would be in the national interest critical medical services, including air ambulance and delivery of supplies, that regularly arrive into Australia from international ports people with critical skills (for example, medical specialists, engineers, marine pilots and crews) by exception diplomats accredited to Australia and currently resident in Australia, and their immediate family case-by-case exceptions for humanitarian or compassionate reasons. As you are not a medical specialist, I don't see how you could get an exemption. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maherw2 Posted June 22, 2020 Author Share Posted June 22, 2020 I was thinking more along the lines of that I would be entering for the purpose of assisting in the COVID response and/or my entry would be in the national interest, as if I do not start my job, my post will be unfilled and disrupt the running of the Emergency Department. Would this not be sufficient? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulhand Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 You won't get a definitive answer here, because each case is on its merits. If you touch base through my website, I will take a look at the details. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SineadK Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 9 hours ago, paulhand said: You won't get a definitive answer here, because each case is on its merits. If you touch base through my website, I will take a look at the details. Are there many exemptions being granted for compassionate reasons? What would 'compassionate' be? Death of family member, birth of grandchild? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 9 hours ago, SineadK said: Are there many exemptions being granted for compassionate reasons? What would 'compassionate' be? Death of family member, birth of grandchild? I've heard of exemptions granted for deaths of close family, but not of any for births. Not to say they aren't happening, but I'd say its less likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 (edited) 27 minutes ago, Nemesis said: I've heard of exemptions granted for deaths of close family, but not of any for births. Not to say they aren't happening, but I'd say its less likely. Me neither, but the OP mentioned a medical issue so she needs family support and doesn't have any - so that's a different thing and I'd think you could make a case for either someone travelling to assist her, or (maybe a better case) her travelling home to be with family. Edited June 23, 2020 by Marisawright 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flossy82 Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 On 22/06/2020 at 19:44, Maherw2 said: Good morning, I have a job offer as an Emergency Department doctor (resident medical officer, not a specialist) to start very soon and need to apply for a 482 visa, along with my spouse. I have never been to Australia and live in a country with a very low number of Covid cases. I realised that I would not only need a Visa but also a travel exemption to actually travel to Australia. Would anyone know, how hard is it for a doctor (and/or their spouse) to get a travel exemption? The cost of a visa for both of us is very high and I am hesitant to pay it if we only have a tiny chance that the travel exemption will be granted, as it appears that we cannot apply for an exemption without having applied for the Visa. We've had no help after calling the Home Affairs, but the employer is happy to issue a letter stating that I am required to start in the Australian hospital soon. Any advice would be much appreciated. Congratulations on your job. I’m a doctor too and am currently in quarantine having successfully got an exemption based on critical skills. I’ve been living in WA for 15/12 and had to fly back as an emergency to the UK as my Dad was terminally ill. The exemptions are a bit of a minefield and they don’t seem to be giving them for any sort of compassionate reasons, and rarely for skills reasons. The exception to this are doctors and other medical professionals. To be honest it was a still a bit of a pain and took much longer to get a response than expected (well beyond my advised date of travel, so definitely don’t book a flight). Whilst I’m a Specialist (O+G) I’ve heard of RMOs and other junior doctors getting exemptions, even for first entry, including one of my own RMOs who apparently had a much easier time than me as she applied a bit earlier on in the pandemic. The key to the application is to emphasis your importance to the COVID recovery of AUstralia ie you’re and ED doctor and you are required to fill gaps in an acute key speciality that is crucial for timely management of any potential COVID cases.Additionally don’t be disillusioned if you get a rejection at first - they don’t seem to read half of the applications properly - and just keep applying. You medical admin department should also be well placed to assist you with all the importing documents and some guidance. Happy for you to message me if you want any further help or guidance. Best Wishes Alex 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flossy82 Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 16 hours ago, SineadK said: Are there many exemptions being granted for compassionate reasons? What would 'compassionate' be? Death of family member, birth of grandchild? It depends a bit on the visa ( ie If you, or the Australian person you are visiting are citizens or PR) but if you are a temporary visa holder then there are few if any exemptions granted for compassionate reasons, and they are mostly terminal illness and possibly funerals. I’m on a facebook group of over 1500 temporary visa holders who have got stuck offshore and there are so many heartbreaking stories of parents separated from children or pregnant spouses, all of whom have been rejected 8+ times despite lots of submitted evidence and compelling reasons 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip1 Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 16 hours ago, SineadK said: Are there many exemptions being granted for compassionate reasons? What would 'compassionate' be? Death of family member, birth of grandchild? I’d say the death of a family member/impending death may well be. The birth of a grandchild no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raul Senise Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 On 22/06/2020 at 21:44, Maherw2 said: Good morning, I have a job offer as an Emergency Department doctor (resident medical officer, not a specialist) to start very soon and need to apply for a 482 visa, along with my spouse. I have never been to Australia and live in a country with a very low number of Covid cases. I realised that I would not only need a Visa but also a travel exemption to actually travel to Australia. Would anyone know, how hard is it for a doctor (and/or their spouse) to get a travel exemption? The cost of a visa for both of us is very high and I am hesitant to pay it if we only have a tiny chance that the travel exemption will be granted, as it appears that we cannot apply for an exemption without having applied for the Visa. We've had no help after calling the Home Affairs, but the employer is happy to issue a letter stating that I am required to start in the Australian hospital soon. Any advice would be much appreciated. It appears that of the few travel exemptions grated to enter Australia, many are for Medical occupations working in critical sectors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee2 Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 The vast majority of medical professionals were successful in obtaining a travel exemption according to statistics I saw. However, the main problem appears to be the delay in visa processing. Has anyone come across any recent 482 visa grants for healthcare professionals (offshore)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 On 23/06/2020 at 23:45, Raul Senise said: It appears that of the few travel exemptions grated to enter Australia, many are for Medical occupations working in critical sectors. Would allied health professionals be included in this grouping? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee2 Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 14 hours ago, Green said: Would allied health professionals be included in this grouping? https://www.interstaff.com.au/exemptions-australia-covid19/ This is what I came across and it just says 'critical skill - medical'. Also it is unclear if those given exemptions had pre-existing visas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 16 hours ago, lee2 said: https://www.interstaff.com.au/exemptions-australia-covid19/ This is what I came across and it just says 'critical skill - medical'. Also it is unclear if those given exemptions had pre-existing visas. Thanks, lee2. Very frustrating all round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee2 Posted July 8, 2020 Share Posted July 8, 2020 On 23/06/2020 at 16:16, Flossy82 said: Congratulations on your job. I’m a doctor too and am currently in quarantine having successfully got an exemption based on critical skills. I’ve been living in WA for 15/12 and had to fly back as an emergency to the UK as my Dad was terminally ill. The exemptions are a bit of a minefield and they don’t seem to be giving them for any sort of compassionate reasons, and rarely for skills reasons. The exception to this are doctors and other medical professionals. To be honest it was a still a bit of a pain and took much longer to get a response than expected (well beyond my advised date of travel, so definitely don’t book a flight). Whilst I’m a Specialist (O+G) I’ve heard of RMOs and other junior doctors getting exemptions, even for first entry, including one of my own RMOs who apparently had a much easier time than me as she applied a bit earlier on in the pandemic. The key to the application is to emphasis your importance to the COVID recovery of AUstralia ie you’re and ED doctor and you are required to fill gaps in an acute key speciality that is crucial for timely management of any potential COVID cases.Additionally don’t be disillusioned if you get a rejection at first - they don’t seem to read half of the applications properly - and just keep applying. You medical admin department should also be well placed to assist you with all the importing documents and some guidance. Happy for you to message me if you want any further help or guidance. Best Wishes Alex Hi Alex, thanks very much for sharing your experience. May I ask how long it takes to get a response for travel exemption (for medical specialists) and do we need to apply more than once before getting approved? Many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauram1 Posted July 8, 2020 Share Posted July 8, 2020 Hi everyone, Just wondering if anyone who has applied for a 482 medium term visa has heard anything back, and if so, how long did it take? Day 64 for us is this weekend and it's still just showing as received, no further updates. I'm too hoping to apply for exemption but as a radiographer (i'll be working in breast imaging when I come over) I'm not sure if this is 'medical' enough. Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauram1 Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 On 08/07/2020 at 11:39, lee2 said: Hi Alex, thanks very much for sharing your experience. May I ask how long it takes to get a response for travel exemption (for medical specialists) and do we need to apply more than once before getting approved? Many thanks I'd be interested to find this out too. I've applied for exemption this week after waiting 2 months to hear from my 482 application. I too am coming over to do a medical job. Wondering how long it might take before exemption is looked at? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmurph Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 Hi all, Was so glad to find this thread and see people in a similar position. I am a medical officer (not specialist) also (currently in Ireland), I have just applied for my 482 visa last week. Currently the time frame quoted on the immigration website is 75% processed within 3 months. Has anybody found this to be accurate? And to reiterate what is the time frame with the travel exemptions? Would people recommend applying for the exemption while the visa is still pending? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollygolucky Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 3 minutes ago, Elmurph said: Hi all, Was so glad to find this thread and see people in a similar position. I am a medical officer (not specialist) also (currently in Ireland), I have just applied for my 482 visa last week. Currently the time frame quoted on the immigration website is 75% processed within 3 months. Has anybody found this to be accurate? And to reiterate what is the time frame with the travel exemptions? Would people recommend applying for the exemption while the visa is still pending? Yes apply for an exemption now. They claim they are prioritising the visas of people with exemptions. Good luck. I’m still waiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmurph Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 Hi Holly, Thanks for your response. Where is that advice coming from can I ask? I had been advised otherwise by my hospitals migration agent but I can't see the sense in her advice. Are you currently waiting for both the visa and the exemption? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauram1 Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 5 minutes ago, Elmurph said: Hi Holly, Thanks for your response. Where is that advice coming from can I ask? I had been advised otherwise by my hospitals migration agent but I can't see the sense in her advice. Are you currently waiting for both the visa and the exemption? I applied for exemption 8 weeks after applying for 482, after calling immigration direct and being advised that they are prioritising those with exemption applications. However, it's been 3 weeks and I've not heard anything, from visa or exemption...and visa times have now gone up to 4 months!! Feels like well never get there!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmurph Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 5 minutes ago, Lauram1 said: I applied for exemption 8 weeks after applying for 482, after calling immigration direct and being advised that they are prioritising those with exemption applications. However, it's been 3 weeks and I've not heard anything, from visa or exemption...and visa times have now gone up to 4 months!! Feels like well never get there!! Hey Laura, God that sounds so stressful I'm so sorry! It's such a nightmare. So hard to make plans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauram1 Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 4 minutes ago, Elmurph said: Hey Laura, God that sounds so stressful I'm so sorry! It's such a nightmare. So hard to make plans. Isnt it just! Guess theres lots of us in the same boat. I would definitely apply for exemption now, it cant hurt. The immi international team were really helpful when I called, and if they advised it, it must be correct! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 The Home Affairs website used to say you should allow 4 weeks to get the exemption. Now they're saying to allow at least 4 weeks and up to 3 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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