In this cross-posting with The Conversation, senior researchers Meru Sheel, Holly Seal and Adam Craig discuss the changing rules around Australia's international borders, and what that means for those stranded overseas.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has hinted that temporary visa holders, including skilled migrants and international students, could be welcomed back into the country as soon as next month.
Jane MacMaster, the chief engineer at Engineers Australia, said a lack of professionals has become such an issue that it is now mentioned to her at “almost every meeting”.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced that both the state's domestic and international borders will reopen by Christmas - pending Queensland's vaccination rates.
The long-awaited vaccine passport for international travel is due to be rolled out by the Australian Government from Tuesday this week, as the country prepares to re-open its international borders for the first time since March 2020.
The union, which represents over 90,000 transport workers across Australia, has warned that without quarantine or rapid testing, the virus will spread quickly and plunge the industry back into a shutdown.