Australian government bungle means visa applicants told to travel overseas during pandemic

People inadvertently' received outdated official advice to leave Australia contrary to new Covid-era arrangements

The Department of Home Affairs mistakenly sent outdated letters to visa applicants erroneously telling them to immediately book international return flights out of Australia in the middle of a pandemic or risk having their applications derailed.

Ordinarily, the migration system requires applicants for some permanent visa types - including parent visas and partner visas - to be outside of Australia at the time they are granted.