Australia to temporarily stop Iranians from entering the country on tourist visas

Australia will temporarily prevent Iranians from entering the country on tourist visas, announced the Home Affairs minister on Wednesday. The minister explained that temporary visitors from Iran might find it “unable or unlikely to depart Australia when their visas expire.” This restriction will begin on Thursday and will last for six months. However, some Iranians will still be permitted to travel to Australia, including those with longer-term visas or those who have children or spouses in the country. Burke stated, “The government is acting in the national interest amid rapidly changing global conditions.” According to Burke, around 7,000 Iranians currently hold visitor visas for Australia. Earlier this month, Australia granted political asylum to seven members of the Iranian women’s soccer team, but five of them later decided to withdraw their claims for refugee status. Senator David Shoebridge, the immigration spokesperson for The Australian Greens, criticized Wednesday’s decision as “a brutal and unfair action aimed at ensuring that none of them (Iranians) can make an onshore claim for protection like the members of the Iranian women’s football team.” Shoebridge added, “The vast majority of people seeking asylum from authoritarian countries do so by securing a visa and then applying for asylum upon arrival.” He also noted that the number of offshore humanitarian visas available for people in Iran is extremely small, as granting them would clearly put them at risk from the Iranian government.