Australians Waiting For Interview at US Consulate Sydney

[Entheos 95]

Warning for all the Victorians....

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/coronavirus-nsw-live-covid19-sydney-updates/live-coverage/04479a174736e07868613a78ce4f1c7e

 

Woman cops fine after leaving quarantine for embassy visit

Victoria Craw

NSW police said the Riverina pub and a woman who left quarantine to get a visa are among the latest to receive fines for breaching public health orders. 

 

In a second incident, a 26-year-old woman who arrived in Sydney from Victoria and was meant to be self-isolating left to apply for a visa at a nearby embassy. 

 

"Following inquiries, it was determined that applying for a visa was not a valid exemption to enter NSW and she did not meet the requirements for a permit. Further, she was not permitted to leave isolation," police said.

 

The woman was issued with a $1000 fine before being directed to return to Victoria.

 

Edited July 31, 2020 by Entheos
Shortened article to show only relevant part

[zochu 255]

2 minutes ago, Entheos said:

Warning for all the Victorians....

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/coronavirus-nsw-live-covid19-sydney-updates/live-coverage/04479a174736e07868613a78ce4f1c7e

 

Woman cops fine after leaving quarantine for embassy visit

Victoria Craw

NSW police said the Riverina pub and a woman who left quarantine to get a visa are among the latest to receive fines for breaching public health orders. 

 

In a second incident, a 26-year-old woman who arrived in Sydney from Victoria and was meant to be self-isolating left to apply for a visa at a nearby embassy. 

 

"Following inquiries, it was determined that applying for a visa was not a valid exemption to enter NSW and she did not meet the requirements for a permit. Further, she was not permitted to leave isolation," police said.

 

The woman was issued with a $1000 fine before being directed to return to Victoria.

 

wow that is actually crazy. I spoke to NSW Health, Service NSW and they both said it was a valid reason. 

 

I also went through the inspection at the border and was cleared by NSW police and NSW health. 
 

good luck to the rest of the Victorians planning to travel. It might be a risk not worth taking if they are now claiming it’s not a valid reason. 

[Broadford 19]

Each day just seems to be getting crazier and crazier, after the qld situation I feel like the cop's are going to start really cracking down on everyone.  

[Lelly 65]

11 hours ago, zochu said:

wow that is actually crazy. I spoke to NSW Health, Service NSW and they both said it was a valid reason. 

 

I also went through the inspection at the border and was cleared by NSW police and NSW health. 
 

good luck to the rest of the Victorians planning to travel. It might be a risk not worth taking if they are now claiming it’s not a valid reason. 

What happens if we get denied entry and won't be able to attend the interview? Does it jeopardize the case with the visa if you ask to reschedule or will the consulate just reschedule it without too much issue? 

 

This is horrible. And I'm just waiting for the lockdown to be extended in VIC too. 

[zochu 255]

2 minutes ago, Lelly said:

What happens if we get denied entry and won't be able to attend the interview? Does it jeopardize the case with the visa if you ask to reschedule or will the consulate just reschedule it without too much issue? 

 

This is horrible. And I'm just waiting for the lockdown to be extended in VIC too. 

I think you need to give sufficient notice to the consulate if you can’t make it. It takes 2 days on average to email and get a response. Now that’s they’ve fined someone it’s given clarity on the public health direction so I would say there is a higher chance to be turned away at the borders 

[Lelly 65]

2 minutes ago, zochu said:

I think you need to give sufficient notice to the consulate if you can’t make it. It takes 2 days on average to email and get a response. Now that’s they’ve fined someone it’s given clarity on the public health direction so I would say there is a higher chance to be turned away at the borders 

Thank you for your response. I so appreciate everyone's guidance here and everyone sharing their experiences. What a mess... 

 

I may need to consider applying for an exemption to leave the country and go on a visit to help my partner. It's not ideal and there's a reasonable chance it will get denied (although I know people who just got approved to go overseas from Australia for someone else's wedding!), but we are desperate at this point. 

[zochu 255]

I think it’s a risk not worth taking. Given the possibility of jail time and a fine. Jail is not worth it. As that will severely impact the chance a visa. Rescheduling is a wise move.

 

I still can’t believe I allowed to pass and now people may have trouble. Unbelievable 

[Entheos 95]

14 minutes ago, zochu said:

I think it’s a risk not worth taking. Given the possibility of jail time and a fine. Jail is not worth it. As that will severely impact the chance a visa. Rescheduling is a wise move.

 

I still can’t believe I allowed to pass and now people may have trouble. Unbelievable 

I think it depends on the restrictions on the border pass as well. It sounds like her border pass required her to quarantine for 14 days after arriving… Or self isolate… Or whatever the wording they are actually using. Yours may not have?

Edited July 31, 2020 by Entheos
Doubled

[Lelly 65]

9 minutes ago, zochu said:

I think it’s a risk not worth taking. Given the possibility of jail time and a fine. Jail is not worth it. As that will severely impact the chance a visa. Rescheduling is a wise move.

 

I still can’t believe I allowed to pass and now people may have trouble. Unbelievable 

Yeah I wouldn't risk it. I think the issue in the case in that article was that quarantine requirements were breached and it caused them to further analyze  the reason for her entering NSW in the first place. I do wonder though if you have been granted an expedited interview if it would add weight to your reason for being there. It is possible but would require further clarification from the relevant authorities. 

 

I don't have an interview scheduled. I was going to submit an expedite request. But now I will hold off I think. Hopefully VIC case numbers improve soon.

[Lelly 65]

14 minutes ago, Entheos said:

I think it depends on the restrictions on the border pass as well. It sounds like her border pass required her to quarantine for 14 days after arriving… Or self isolate… Or whatever the wording they are actually using. Yours may not have?

Yes and each permit can have different quarantine requirements attached to it. I think it is worth adding that if you are granted a permit to enter NSW and the reason is to attend the interview at the  consulate and you declare that when you apply, then as long as you abide by the conditions of that permit (I.e isolation/quarantine requirements) then they can't fine you at that point. She was fined for breaching the permit. However, if you declare you have an interview at the consulate and they grant the permit based on that (and they allow you entry at the border for that reason), then you have done nothing wrong by entering NSW for that reason, provided you follow any requirements attached to the permit. 

Edited July 31, 2020 by Lelly

[Entheos 95]

Just now, Lelly said:

Yes and each permit can have different quarantine requirements attached to it. I think it is worth adding that if you are granted a permit to enter NSW and the reason is to attend the interview at the  consulate and you declare that when you apply, then as long as you abide by the conditions of that permit (I.e isolation/quarantine requirements) then they can't fine you at that point. She was fined for breaching the permit. However, if you declare you have an interview at the consulate and they grant the permit based on that, then you have done nothing wrong by entering NSW for that reason, provided you follow any requirements attached to the permit. 

Yeah. The issue is of course that there is a ‘quarantine/self isolation requirement’ on ENTRY to NSW.... so she would have needed to arrive at least 14 days before the interview as she should have arrived.... self isolated without leaving the designated address (which is why she was likely caught as not being at the address when they did the door knock), and THEN done the interview.... which makes its hard for those who are travelling from interstate as you’d need a hotel or a place to stay for 2 weeks, not just fly in, stay a night and fly out... or drive...

[Lelly 65]

9 minutes ago, Entheos said:

Yeah. The issue is of course that there is a ‘quarantine/self isolation requirement’ on ENTRY to NSW.... so she would have needed to arrive at least 14 days before the interview as she should have arrived.... self isolated without leaving the designated address (which is why she was likely caught as not being at the address when they did the door knock), and THEN done the interview.... which makes its hard for those who are travelling from interstate as you’d need a hotel or a place to stay for 2 weeks, not just fly in, stay a night and fly out... or drive...

Yes, correct. I have heard you can get permits without a full 14 day quarantine attached to it but I'm not 100% sure how they determine that. I think if you were granted an interview and got a permit to enter NSW, it would be worth asking Sydney consulate for your interview to be at least a few weeks later so you have the time to quarantine in Sydney prior to interview. Well, not just worth asking, but necessary. I wouldn't breach quarantine requirements. 

 

 

[zochu 255]

My permit stated that I had to self isolate except for my interview. I could leave self isolation to attend the consulate. I had to order Uber Eats and stay in the hotel for the whole time. 

[Lelly 65]

Just now, zochu said:

My permit stated that I had to self isolate except for my interview. I could leave self isolation to attend the consulate. I had to order Uber Eats and stay in the hotel for the whole time. 

Thanks for that info! I think as long as someone has a permit like you did, they would be OK. Whether or not it will be harder to get one now is another story 😕

[Broadford 19]

The authorities are definitely making it harder for everyone to move forward right now. I really wish we went the same way as New Zealand right about now. 

So are the NSW isolation laws the same for the whole of Victoria and other states or just those coming up from hot spots?