Coronavirus crisis: How Chinese students studying in Australia can apply for exemption to COVID-19 travel ban

Chinese students completing their senior studies at Australian high schools have been given a pathway to get back into the country, despite the Morrison Government’s COVID-19 travel ban. Education Minister Dan Tehan announced today that Year 11 and 12 students in China that were unable to re-enter Australia could now apply for an exemption to the travel restrictions put in place on February 1. A statement released by Mr Tehan’s office said the decision was made “based on the best medical advice available and with the safety of Australians as the number one priority”. There are 400 Year 12 students and 360 Year 11 students already enrolled in Australian schools who cannot enter the country due to travel restrictions. Strict conditions will be in place for the “small numbers” of additional people who will be allowed back into the country. The exemption will not be granted to anyone from the Hubei province, where the epicentre of COVID-19, Wuhan, is located. The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, consisting of the Federal, State and Territory chief medical officers, gave unanimous approval to the exemption given the “apparent slowing in case numbers in other provinces of mainland China, suggestive of better containment”. Students will be assessed on a case by case basis, provided they meet the following criteria: