Australia to Grant Djokovic Visa Despite Vax Deportation Fiasco in January

coolstanley

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Novak Djokovic is set to be granted a visa to play in next year’s Australian Open despite his high-profile deportation in January.

The Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Tuesday said it had confirmed newspaper reports that the immigration minister had overturned a potential three-year exclusion period for Djokovic.
The Australian Border Force has previously said an exclusion period could be waived in certain circumstances – and that each case would be assessed on its merits.
The 21-time Grand Slam singles champion wasn’t allowed to defend his Australian Open title this year after a tumultuous 10-day legal saga over his COVID-19 vaccination status that culminated with his visa being revoked on the eve of the tournament.
Australia has had a change of government and changed its border rules this year and, since July 6, incoming travellers no longer have to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccinations. That removed the major barrier to entry for Djokovic.

It allowed him to apply to new Immigration Minister Andrew Giles to reconsider his visa status. In his favour, Djokovic left Australia quickly after his visa was revoked and has not publicly criticized Australian authorities.

Alfonz24

I know what I would tell the Aussie immigration czar. But this is not the place.