There are new powers allowing the Minister for Immigration to temporarily restrict travel to Australia by certain offshore temporary visa holders during periods of international risk or disruption.
Key points: :
- creates a new power for the Minister to issue an arrival control determination, temporarily suspending travel to Australia for specified classes of temporary visa holders who are outside Australia
- this power may be used where an event or circumstance outside Australia has occurred or is occurring and one or both of the following apply:
- non-citizens to whom the determination is to apply may if they enter Australia on a temporary visa not depart Australia when their visa ceases, or
- their visa may not have been granted if current event or circumstances had existed at the time of application.
- the Minister must obtain written agreement from the Prime Minister and the Foreign Affairs Minister before issuing a determination
- a determination can operate for up to 6 months and cannot be varied or extended (but a new determination may be made if criteria are met again)
- a determination does not cancel the visa or affect its expiry date
- a determination does not impact any current holders of a permanent visa, or a temporary visa holder who is in the migration zone when the period of time specified in the determination comes into force but subsequently departs
- the determination cannot apply to non‑citizens who are parents of a child under 18 in Australia, or the spouse, de facto partner, dependent child of an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or non-citizen who is the holder of a protection or humanitarian visa
- the Minister may also grant individual exemptions (permitted travel certificates) on a case-by-case basis for compelling, compassionate, or public‑interest reasons
- the Minister must table before each House of the Parliament a copy of the determination and a statement of reasons for making the determination within 2 sitting days after the day on which the determination is made.
Arrival Control Determination – Offshore Iranian visitor (Sc 600) visa holders
The Migration (Arrival Control) Determination 2026 (LIN 26/040) commenced on 26 March 2026 and remains in effect for six months.
Under this Determination, any person who is:
- outside Australia when the arrival control determination began on 26 March 2026
- holding a Visitor (Subclass 600) visa, and
- recorded by the Department as having used a passport issued by the Islamic Republic of Iran when applying for that visa
will have their Visitor visa temporarily cease to be in effect, unless an exemption applies. No refunds will be provided for Sc 600 visitor visa holders that are affected by the travel restrictions unless they can meet any of the refund criteria under reg 2.12F.
Exemptions
* Please note that at this stage the determination only affects offshore Iranian visitor visa holders it does not affect all Iranian temporary visa holders or Iranian visitor visa holders that were onshore on 26 March 2026.
The Determination does not apply to the following Visitor visa holders with Iranian passports:
- the spouse, de facto partner or dependent child of an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent visa holder, or an Australian resident who is not subject to a time limitation (such as a New Zealand citizen)
- the parent of a child who is under 18 and in Australia
- a person who was in Australia when the Arrival Control Determination commenced
- a person who has been issued a Permitted Travel Certificate (PTC) that is in force.
Permitted Travel Certificate (PTC)
A request for a PTC can be made on the Department’s Arrival Control determination portal here.
Applications for PTC are considered on a case-by-case basis and will only be issued in very limited circumstances, which may include individuals who:
- are the parent of an Australian citizen, or
- can show they genuinely intend to stay in Australia temporarily.
A PTC request should include a very strong submission and evidence that supports the request, more information on what is required can be found on the Department’s website. Requests should be made at least 2 weeks before the intended travel and no more than 2 months before the intended travel date.
Those who hold a PTC may continue to travel to Australia if they hold a valid visa. However, they will need to provide evidence that the restrictions do not apply to them before they travel to Australia.
Arrival Control Determination check
Before travelling, individuals should check whether their Visitor visa has been affected by requesting an Arrival Control Determination check through the Department of Home Affairs’ Arrival Control Determination Portal.
Members can find more information on the Department’s Arrival Control determination webpage.