From 15 December 2021, fully vaccinated international students can travel to Australia without seeking a travel exemption. Please note this date has changed from 1 December as announced by the Australian Government in response to the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

Under the new travel arrangements for eligible visa holders, international students travelling to Australia must:

• Be fully vaccinated with a completed dosage of a vaccine approved or recognised by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)
• Hold a valid visa for one of the eligible visa subclasses
• Provide proof of their vaccination status
• Present a negative COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test taken within three days of departure.

Students returning to Australia from 15 December will be required to abide by the quarantine requirements in the state or territory of their arrival, and any other state or territory to which they plan to travel.

• NSW/ACT: International students who are fully vaccinated with a Therapeutic Goods Administration approved or recognised COVID-19 vaccine will be required to self isolate at their accommodation or place of residence for at least 72 hours upon their arrival. They will also need to undertake a COVID-19 PCR test within 24 hours of arrival, and on or after day 6 after entering NSW. Please refer to the NSW Health factsheet for more information on self-isolation.

• Victoria: International students who are fully vaccinated with a Therapeutic Goods Administration approved or recognised COVID-19 vaccine will be required to undergo 72 hours of home-based quarantine upon their arrival. This can be done either in a private home or other private accommodation that the student books directly. They will also need to undertake a COVID-19 PCR test within 24 hours of arrival, and between days 5 and 7 after entering Victoria. Please refer to the Victorian Government's website for more information on what you need to do after you arrive.
  
  
• Queensland: International students arriving in Queensland will be required to complete the mandatory 14 quarantine period before the state has reached its 90% vaccination target. ACU is monitoring advice for Queensland and will provide further updates as soon as possible. Please see Study Queensland for further information.

State-based International Student Arrivals Plans will still continue across New South Wales and Victoria, with students returning to Australia under the NSW International Student Arrivals Pilot Plan or Victoria's International Student Arrivals Plan travelling on their scheduled flights. 

More information about these plans can be found by clicking the buttons in the 'International Student Arrivals Plans' section below.

FAQs - NSW International Student Arrivals Pilot Plan

FAQs - Victoria's International Student Arrivals Plan

While we are looking forward to welcoming our students back on campus to study in Australia, we acknowledge that for various reasons, some students may be unable to travel to Australia to continue or commence their studies in 2022. 

ACU will continue to offer remote learning, where possible, to students who cannot attend classes in person or who are still located offshore. You can learn more about our online to onshore study journey here.

If you have any questions about your program of study and whether remote learning will be available, please email International Admissions on international.admissions@acu.edu.au. 

The following links contain useful information about the new travel arrangements from 15 December 2021.

• Department of Home Affairs - COVID-19 and the border: Information for travellers, including eligible visa holders
• International COVID-19 vaccines recognised by Australia: List of vaccines that are recognised for the purpose of travel to Australia
• Study Australia – Student arrivals plans and updates: The latest information and advice regarding travel to Australia and the student visa process
• Department of Home Affairs - International students: Information for international students