Travel advice and visa support
Keep yourself updated with the latest travel advice and guidelines.
If you are currently unable to travel to Melbourne, we hope for your safe return to campus when travel restrictions permit. Check the latest travel advice and associated support on this page.
Last updated: 11.28am, 1 March 2021
Visa advice
Visit our COVID-19 student visa FAQs for the latest advice about how your student visa may be affected.
Travel advice
Students outside Australia
If you are an international student waiting to travel to Australia to commence or resume your studies on-campus, please note that Australian Government restrictions prohibit non-Australian citizens travelling to Australia at this time. We continue to follow the advice of the Victorian and Australian Governments regarding travel restrictions into and out of Australia.
We will contact you as soon as we know more about the possibility of travel to Australia to commence or resume your studies on-campus.
Travel exemptions
While we are not able to facilitate any travel exemptions at this time, we recommend you continue to monitor the Department of Home Affairs website for further Government advice. Documentation relating to your studies, including an Evidence of Enrolment letter that confirms your enrolment at the University, can be obtained upon request via the Academic transcripts and statements page. Please note, any such documentation is currently unlikely to result in a successful application for a travel exemption due to the Government restrictions in place.
If you are a student in your final or penultimate year of study in a medical, nursing or allied health profession university degree and have evidence of a confirmed placement in an Australian hospital or medical practice commencing within the next two months, you may wish to contact the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs to discuss whether or not your circumstances meet the requirements for an individual exemption. Once again, please note that while the University of Melbourne can provide documentation as evidence to support eligible exemption applications, we cannot facilitate or guarantee a travel exemption request.
International students in Australia
If you are an international student currently in Australia, and you wish to return to your home country, you can continue your studies remotely if your subjects allow this. You need to stay enrolled to maintain a current CoE. If you choose to return home to study, you must ensure you are able to actively participate in required learning activities, noting this may include classes scheduled at AEST times which require virtual attendance.
International students who wish to return home and take a leave of absence can apply to have this assessed as compassionate and compelling if they have appropriate circumstances and supporting documentation.
You should be aware of any possible restrictions or risks with returning to home countries, as well as the Australian Government’s travel advice and restrictions, which may prevent you from returning to Australia. We will continue to monitor this situation and how it might impact students’ ongoing enrolment. For any visa enquiries, you should contact the Department of Home Affairs.
Accessing health and wellbeing services from overseas
International students in Australia
Your Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) will cover equivalent health care to the Medicare Benefits Scheme. This means that you can access a doctor (General Practitioner, or GP) and seek a referral for pathology, psychology, psychiatry or a mental health nurse through the University Health Service without incurring any out of pocket expenses if using BUPA, the UoM preferred OSHC provider. BUPA, Medicare and Allianz all direct bill for consultations you receive. For specific questions about what your insurance will cover, please contact your insurance company. For advice on what health and wellbeing services are available to you, contact the University Health Service. You can continue to access regular GP appointments via telehealth (by phone).
Even for those who do not have adequate insurance coverage, Victorian hospitals will waive the costs of treatment associated with COVID-19. This includes waiving payment and debt recovery procedures for ambulance transfers of people suspected to have COVID-19, who are taken to Victorian hospitals for assessment. These arrangements have been put in place to ensure payment issues are not a barrier for people from overseas with COVID-19 symptoms seeking early medical advice.
Students outside Australia (domestic and international)
If you are outside Australia, there may be some limitations on what services our health practitioners can legally provide via telehealth. You should access your local medical system for practical health support.
However, if you need mental health support, please book an appointment with our Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS) for advice on supports that are available and that you can be linked into. There are also plenty of student workshops and sessions that you can participate in which can support you with some of the problems you might be experiencing.
For information on OSHC refunds for periods of study not completed in Australia, check our student visa FAQs.
Other support services
Here are some other resources and services that you can access from anywhere:
If you would like further information regarding support services, please contact us.