Australian Border Closures - Help Stranded Aussies (Community platform for those that are stranded)

AssociatedSupersonic101 @ reuniteaustralia.com on 15/07/2021 - 03:56
Last edited 15/07/2021 - 11:51 by 1 other user

I am one of the thousands of Aussies stranded abroad, desperate to return home I decided to create a free community space where we can help and support each other: https://www.reuniteaustralia.com

If there are any other Aussies or Immediate family out there that are looking for help from others in the same circumstance, please join our group. We will get through this together!

REUNITE AUSTRALIA:

  • Empowers and equips people to support each other through the sharing of information and experiences.
  • Advocates for the humanisation of those impacted by border closures.
  • Promotes initiatives for change.
  • Creates the opportunity for pro bono (free) help from expert immigration agents. If you are an immigration agent you can register for free on the platform too.
  • Raises public awareness of border policy issues through campaigns and initiatives.
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Comments

  • EightImmortals on 15/07/2021 - 06:21
    -7

    All the best mate, great idea. :)

    You might find some more help amongst this lot: https://www.apalliance.org/

  • pegaxs on 15/07/2021 - 07:41
    +51

    Uh huh… Right… Ok… Interesting… Oh, there it is, a GoFundMe link, knew some sort of "please contribute so we can fight the good fight" link wasn't far away.

    The stock photos and the nauseating alarmist rhetoric on the site is a bit if a turn off. Not sure what this offers compared to similar FaRtbOOk conspiracy theory groups. And you could have at least made it a .com.au domain.

    • brendanm on 15/07/2021 - 13:06
      +3

      Gosh, I wonder who negged this…

  • joker0701 on 15/07/2021 - 08:12
    +36

    Covid has been around in Aus since Jan 2020, there have been numerous opportunities to come home, i personally know many people who have come home.

    Why are you suddenly wanting to come home 1year 7 months later, when there were deffinate opportunities to come home.

    • Caped Baldy on 15/07/2021 - 10:52

      What if they flew to Israel a few months into covid?

      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/633430

      • Nalar on 15/07/2021 - 13:40

        All I got from that was "there were extra stop overs so I didn't fly home when I should have"

    • AssociatedSupersonic101 @ reuniteaustralia.com on 15/07/2021 - 21:16
      -7

      I am glad that the people you know have managed to get home - many of us have had our flights cancelled multiple times. In my case it has to do with the exemption process - my fiancé is on a prospective spousal visa, and even though she meets all of the requirements to be exempt we are getting denied exemption. It is not a case of "suddenly wanting to come home" We have been trying for over a year to get an exemption.

      Meanwhile, I have plenty of business colleagues that can enter Australia without an exemption because they hold business investment visas… Nobody is asking for a handout, simply for the policies to be fair and make rational sense.

      If it was really about a "hard border closure" then they wouldn't allow the rich and famous, sports stars and business investment visa holders to come and go as they please.

      • pegaxs on 15/07/2021 - 21:42
        +1

        Nobody is asking for a handout

        Meh… you kind of are. Apart from the GoFundMe (handout central) and pro-bono work you want done, you are basically asking to be exempt when you quite clearly not able to be exempted. You’re looking to be treated the same as business visa holders and the rich and powerful while you are none of those.

        They (whatever government department you are dealing with) would have given you a reason why you are being declined, but I have the feeling that you are leaving this part out in the hope that it will shed a more favourable light on your situation if you obfuscate the underlying issues.

        But starting up a “I’m angry with the government and I want people to be angry along with me” and then soliciting for donations for god knows what, isn’t really going to fix your underlying “keep getting exempt” issues.

        We are the better part of 18 months into this on again/off again lockdown. A lot of people have returned home and chose to do so when it was easier, rather than stay somewhere else and come back when they felt like it.

        It sounds more like you are trying to get back to Australia now that ZA is going to hell in a hand basket and it no longer suits you to be there…

      • samfisher5986 on 18/07/2021 - 11:07

        The rich and famous aren't bringing the delta variant and infecting everyone, people like you are.

        We don't want you to come and kill people in Australia, so stick with the choices you made to not come back to Australia.

  • 87percent on 15/07/2021 - 08:13
    +38

    I really hate how everything is a “go fund me” now..

    Person goes to jail? Go fund me
    Person needs a new car? Go fund me

    • Jugganautx on 15/07/2021 - 08:21
      +27

      Its essentially 1st world begging.

      • Mechz on 15/07/2021 - 08:45
        +3

        Unfortunately it works very well sometimes.

        • mapax on 15/07/2021 - 10:25
          +2

          Supposedly you can hire people to write them for you to make sure you have the correct type of emotional manipulation to increase the amount received.

          A couple of people have suggested I start one for my environmental business. On one hand it feels wrong but on the other when I see the amounts of money some people are getting for nonsense it makes me wonder if I made the correct decision to not make one.

      • Some Guy on 15/07/2021 - 10:55
        +1

        Absolutely and the number of shameless out there is astonishing. The Sydney limo driver's son and https://www.facebook.com/1679606165601300/posts/a-gofundme-p… are two of the more egregious examples IMO.

        However, there's also a substantial amount of fraud where scammers create accounts using facebook images etc to take advantage of the unwitting.

    • Caped Baldy on 15/07/2021 - 10:53

      It's the modernised version.

      Going to South East Asian countries you'd regularly see western tourists/backpackers asking for cash. Pretty low imo.

      • pegaxs on 16/07/2021 - 10:11
        +3

        There is a name for doing that, going to other countries as a tourist and begging for money to fund your holiday. Begpacking, scabpacking or something like that.

        Or the arseholes that go to other countries and busted for drugs/assault/crimes and then want a GoFundMe to pay their legal fees.

  • tinx on 15/07/2021 - 08:25
    +14

    “ As the months wear on, and the exemption denials flow in, I am becoming more and more suspicious that the whole program is simply fugazi to keep the majority of the common people from entering the country.”

    Proportionally, how much time you spend in australia vs south africa in 5 years before 2020?
    It seems you’ve been working and living in south africa not in australia.

    As joker said, there were multiple opportunities to come back in 2020.

    • pharkurnell on 15/07/2021 - 09:59
      +2

      Yes but it suits him to come home now… IF there was no covid, he'd be stayin there.

      • mbck on 15/07/2021 - 10:34
        +1

        Dman what's happening there is stuffed up.

        In saying that, Op had many chances and time to go back but decided not to. That's life. Your decisions have repercussions. But hey let's blame it on others it's less painful on the self…

    • AssociatedSupersonic101 @ reuniteaustralia.com on 15/07/2021 - 21:29
      -4

      I moved to Australia when I was 13 - I grew up here and call it my home. I run a business on the Gold Coast that supports Aussie jobs and contributes to the economy… I care deeply for this land and it's people. This is my home and the majority of my family lives here as well.

      Yes, I was working in South Africa at the time when Covid broke out internationally - however, like for a lot of Australian citizens abroad, it isn't as simple as just leaving… My fiancé was still waiting for her visa, and we needed to wait for this. Almost a year later after receiving her visa, we still cannot come over as the Australian border force simply denies our exemption (despite it being on the list of approved visas).

      If we had the choice, we would have been in Australia in April last year. Now we are stuck in South Africa, which is quite literally a warzone at the moment with looting and pillaging….

      We are not asking for a handout, or for the borders to open, simply that the border policies are fair and make rational sense… why not a booking system for quarantine space? Or a last out / last in system to prevent people just flying in and out all the time? If people are vaccinated, why not consider home quarantine.

      Anyway - I am hoping that as the vaccination rate increases in AUS we will see better policy from the government.

      • samfisher5986 on 18/07/2021 - 11:06
        +1

        Sounds like you made some bad decisions and now you have to live with them.

  • Fredfloresjr on 15/07/2021 - 08:44
    +14

    Nah stay there.

  • donbot on 15/07/2021 - 10:05
    +5

    With all these ex-pats crying out to 'come home'.. I can't help but wonder how many of them tell the ATO that Australia remains their home or if they believe they've broken tax residency here.

    Immigration residency is one thing, but taxation residency is another based on different principles. If you're claiming you want to 'return home', that'd be suggesting you're ordinarily domiciled in Australia, which makes you an Australian resident for tax purposes, which means your worldwide income is taxable in Australia.

    How much Australian income tax have you paid on your South African earnings?

    • dasher86 on 15/07/2021 - 11:58

      I believe Australia and South Africa have a DTA so you wouldnt be liable for taxes in Aust if you paid them in SA.

      • Bjingo on 20/07/2021 - 13:28

        Depends on the type of income. Generally your tax residency determines the jurisdiction you will be taxed in. To work out residency you have to go through the residency tests.

        https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/coming-to-australia-or-go…

        If he was not paying tax in Australia I am assuming they would not allow entry as to not pay Australian tax you generally have to have completely established yourself in the other country. Like have a social life there, a permanent place of abode, things like that. They actually make it super hard to not be taxed in Australia

    • shadowangel on 23/09/2021 - 10:35

      Tax is more complicated then that for expats, owning anything back in Australia you could be still a tax resident.

  • GG57 on 15/07/2021 - 10:18
    +9

    I'm curious as to why OP would want "expert immigration agents" to assist, if the people trying to return to Australia are Australians?

    • AssociatedSupersonic101 @ reuniteaustralia.com on 15/07/2021 - 21:32
      -1

      Because the exemption process is extremely complicated - we are still getting ours declined event though we have over 80pages of evidence for the immediate family category.

      A lot of Aussies have their significant other, parents or children that need to go through the exemption process but majority are getting declined.

      I added the opportunity for immigration agents to help as I saw a bunch of them helping on Facebook groups free of charge, and if it is on a forum other people can find the answers at a later stage as well.

      • CMH on 15/08/2021 - 19:39

        So in other words you don't normally reside here in Australia, and hope to get in because an immediate family member lives here?

  • pharkurnell on 15/07/2021 - 10:46
    +12

    I dont think this thread is going to OP's original plan lol

  • TheMindsetTraveller on 15/07/2021 - 10:56
    +5

    If I had the choice, I'd leave Australia right now.

    Vaccine hesitancy, the continual threats of lockdown, and border closures are enough. Other parts of the world have already gone through a harsh situation, and are now are unlocking themselves - look at the United Kingdom from next week, amaazingggggg!

    • Krankite on 15/07/2021 - 12:21
      +7

      Vaccine hesitancy? what a great way to market vaccine unavailability.

      • ozhunter on 15/07/2021 - 12:28

        I think he is saying he is vaccine hesitant.

  • Hithere on 15/07/2021 - 11:06
    +2

    Amazing how so many 'Australians' suddenly want to come 'home' now that we are relatively Covid free.

    • GG57 on 15/07/2021 - 11:26
      -1

      I'm not sure that we are relatively free (or any more free than we have been at different times over the past 18 months) of COVID.
      But, those people overseas are much more highly likely to be fully vaccinated by now.

    • ozhunter on 15/07/2021 - 12:28
      +4

      Lol we've always been relatively covid free.

  • raptormesh on 15/07/2021 - 11:10
    +2

    Is this a grift?

  • Some Guy on 15/07/2021 - 11:13

    There are already literally dozens of these "spaces" on the social media platforms. The lack of exposure or public awareness is not your problem as the news websites are flooded with identical stories to yours, and while you have my sympathies, we've got enough problems of our own frankly.

  • Ocker on 15/07/2021 - 11:44
    +1

    Aussies have done, and continue to put up with, harsh lock-downs etc to keep Australia as free as possible/practical from the ravages of COVID.
    Last thing I want to see is more imported cases simply because it now suits traveller's to return to Australia

  • Duckie2hh on 15/07/2021 - 12:05
    +8

    How do I downvote this forum post….

  • Marty-69 on 15/07/2021 - 12:27

    I just returned from Europe and I had no problem getting a flight back to Australia. I don't know why so many people have issues, probably because they don't get approval from Border Security or Immigration? It seems there are enough seats on flights. Flying out, there were 14 people on the plane, coming back there were at least 60 to 80 and they fly that route daily.

    • 87percent on 15/07/2021 - 12:29
      +1

      man, that would be the dream.. 14 people on a plane to Europe!? (besides the whole COVID situation)

    • lgacb08 on 16/07/2021 - 23:01

      yeah, the question was, how much did you pay for the ticket? I'm sure it's not cattle class.

    • Jdawg91 on 17/07/2021 - 07:29

      With the new reductions to flight caps that have just become effective, unfortunately the situation has changed - there is no longer likely to be enough seats on inbound flights to Australia until the end of August, assuming they lift the caps back to what they were pre-July. Of course there are regional biases here which do impact things, so it would depend on the route you take.

  • c64 on 15/07/2021 - 12:31
    +2

    e-begging at its finest

  • Drakesy on 15/07/2021 - 12:39
    +10

    The page is pure cringe.
    Pulling on emotional strings when Australia really has little sympathy for foreign citizens who've taken over a year to come back.

    I've had family members literally buy tickets, get on a plane and be back in Australia from Europe in the space of 2 weeks, at this stage sympathy is running very low.

    I think the ones that are still overseas have their life set up over there and only now wanted to come home. You can pick and choose to a point imho but don't get annoyed when Australia shuts it's borders for the good of their own population (who are paying tax and now have to live with $250 billion excess debt).

    • shadowangel on 23/09/2021 - 11:03
      -1

      That's a really bad example, Europe hasnt really had restrictions not to the level of some of these other countries.

      Try doing the same for Laos, no entry into neighbor countries. So no flights from Thailand, Vietnam.

      Thailand even is down to just expat flights or maybe flying to Korea, Japan or Europe to get back. Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam is closed for transit and there is no longer direct flights as airlines won't fly with these aussie restrictions.

  • Nalar on 15/07/2021 - 13:47
    +7

    I Don't understand, is OP being refused to come home, or is it that he can't get a spouse Visa and is choosing to not come home without his spouse?

    "I am currently working remotely from South Africa while staying with my fiancé. We have spent upwards of $10,000 for a prospective spousal visa in order for us to return home, however, every single exemption application so far has been denied."

    • kanmen on 15/07/2021 - 23:04
      +4

      Yeah this sounds like it's not an 'Aussie' that's stranded really, it's the spouse of an 'Aussie' and then the 'Aussie' deciding not to come back home without the spouse.

  • Lunarboogie on 16/07/2021 - 11:33
    -4

    I think this thread has been hijacked by a fair whack of jingoism. I live overseas and I can vouch that it is not easy to return, with caps changing every other week and flight availability up in the air. That said, there are plenty of opportunities to return if you really want to. I've been back to visit family 5 times since April last year. You need to be flexible and creative and be prepared to part with a bit of dosh (luckily for me my employer foots the bill - I'm saving them a small fortune by not having to pay international school fees for my school age kids).

    That said, there should be no recriminations for folk like OP who want to come home now. This choice is dependent on individual circumstances and we as a country should not raise the drawbridge just because things are tough internationally. Where is our humanity? Would you punish child B for coming home after a boozy Friday night at 4am over child B who was tucked in bed at 10pm? You'd have every right to be peeved but you wouldn't turf them out on their ear.

    We are all Australians - if we can't show compassion to our fellow citizens than what does that say about us as a country.

    • lgacb08 on 16/07/2021 - 23:05
      +2

      the guy can go home, it just that he doesn't want to go without his partner, which is understandable.

    • Emerald Owl on 17/07/2021 - 04:26

      You’ve been through hotel quarantine 5 times?!?!

      • Lunarboogie on 17/07/2021 - 06:32

        Yep. And I do another 2-weeks upon arrival in Malaysia. All up, I’ve done 20 weeks of isolation in 20 months. It sucks but I just gotta keep trucking. Only 6 more months until I’m home for good.

      • Punisher on 17/07/2021 - 06:46

        I know a lot of people, I mean a lot whose been in and out of Oz more than10x, so went through the hotel quarantine more than 10x.

        It is just media hype these 34000 they say that aren't able to come home due to restrictions.

        Cmon, the hotel quarantine accommodates 2000 per week, not including the repatriation ones. There has also been economic returnees (fruit pickers, students)

        You would think after a year we would have gotten those 34000 back already with 2000/week arrivals even if we say it started with 50000.

        Yes it is not the normal process. I'm a returnee as well with flight cancellations and increased fare but doable. I had 4 cancellations, $1400 return flight, still has 2 credit refunds from cancelled flight, 24 hours lay over, and the 14 days hotel quarantine. Difficult and expensive but doable.

  • Jdawg91 on 17/07/2021 - 07:24

    In March 2020 Australia began to announce its national border closures and advised Australians to make a decision to either return home, or expect to spend a significant amount of time in the future abroad. At the time, many overseas were not in a position to immediately leave - jobs require notice periods, leases have notice periods, and flight schedules have to align. In the UK, a common job notice period is 3 months - it's not like you can stroll out one day and catch a plane home with no implications. In any case, you'd then have to find a job back home upon return - and all this in an economy suddenly hit by a shock recession. Good luck.

    Granted these people have now been given a long time to return home, and have had many opportunities (including from the DFAT flights). But when we told people last year to come home or stay abroad, what did that really mean? What was the timeframe for being trapped abroad? How long would Australia's borders be shut for? Nobody knew. It's now been 16 months or so, and the borders will remain substantially closed for the foreseeable future. How many people who decided to stay overseas last year for the "long haul" thought that Australia would be shut for this long? Sure nobody could say at the time, but Australia is out of sync with almost every other country in the world in terms of the severity and longevity of its border closures.

    So for those who stuck it out until now, because they thought this would all have blown over by now - what would you say to them? Because I think most Aussies, whether at home or abroad, would not have expected borders to still be closed in such a severe manner in July 2021. I'm not suggesting to necessarily donate money to those stranded overseas - but I think people have to be realistic about how difficult international mobility can be during a pandemic, and how little guidance you're given, considering nobody knew in March 2021 what the future would look like.

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