Section 48 Barred and New Zealand Travel Bubble

Section 48 barred clients

If you are on a bridging visa A (BVA) and you must travel to New Zealand, you can apply for a bridging visa B (BVB). The processing time for a BVB can take from 2 days to 10 months. Currently, the processing time is not listed on the Department of Home Affairs website. However, there are a few key things to remember:

• To grant a BVB the minister must be satisfied that the applicant’s reasons for applying for a BVB are substantial. Applying for BVB to avoid the effects of Section 48 may not be appropriate.
• You must ensure that you have a suitable visa to enter New Zealand. This can be problematic as New Zealand may not grant a visa if you do not have a valid visa to return to Australia or travel to another country.
• The BVB must allow for additional travel time in case the border close suddenly. You are not able to apply for a BVB offshore.
• It is also important to note that the border may be closed without a long period of notice.

What visa do you need to travel to New Zealand?

To travel to New Zealand, you must have a valid visa. Australian citizens and permanent residents do not have to apply for a visa. You will be granted a visa upon arrival. If you are a temporary visa holder in Australia, you will need to apply for one of the following visas to enter New Zealand:

• NZeTA
• Visitor Visas
• Work Visas
• Student Visas
• Family Visas

23 April 2021 update on people intending to leave Australia to another country through the Australia-New Zealand Travel Bubble:

Australians who use the New Zealand travel bubble to fly onto the rest of the world should be aware of the below: Changes have been made to the Biosecurity legislation (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential). The amended Entry Requirements reflect the health advice of the Director of Human Biosecurity that a declaration from individuals who have travelled to a third country outside the safe travel zone aligns with the purpose of preventing COVID-19 from being introduced to, establishing and spreading in Australian territory. It is designed to reinforce the current public health advice that Australian citizens and permanent residents should only be using the New Zealand safe travel zone exemption to travel to New Zealand unless they have a compassionate reason, or required urgent medical treatment not reasonably available in New Zealand or Australia, that required the person to travel to a third country. 

Compassionate reasons may include the death or serious illness of a close family member of the individual or of a close family member of the spouse or de facto partner of the individual. The intention of including compassionate reason is to provide for circumstances that could not have been known to the individual prior to their departure from Australia to travel to New Zealand.