Australian Medical School 2022 Entry

[ayh89]

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Hi all, just wondering if any of you have any advice on how to get your passport photos endorsed offshore? ANU requires a Working With Vulnerable People (WWVP) check and the check requires mailing of certified true copies of documents as well as 2 passport-size photos endorsed by an "authorised person under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959 (Cwlth)". I am having trouble finding the authorised person to endorse my photos as even the Australian High Commission couldn't endorse the photos with "This is a true photo of (name)" which is what WWVP requires, and only could endorse them with the photo "is a true likeness of (name)". A Notary Public in my country will cost around AUD200 just to endorse 1 photo. Appreciate any help!

 

[med4evah]

Hi guys, just to otherwise confirm, for Queensland we can do a Rapid Antigen Test (instead of the RT-PCR) and show that instead as proof from now on for travel, right? And we can't do the one at home, we have to go to the pharmacy to get the official doc/letter from them as a proof? ty 🙂

 

[Wolvvs]

Are you talking about entering Queensland from NSW or Victoria? You can go buy a rapid antigen test at a pharmacy and do it yourself. I've heard some people have been asked to provide photo evidence of a negative test. For me, it was just fulling out the Queensland arrival form and attesting that I had a negative test on that form, and they didn't ask me for anything else. Also they were super casual about it, there was no security checkpoint or anything, they were just hanging out at the baggage pickup and asking random people to see the QR code.

 

[med4evah]

Are you talking about entering Queensland from NSW or Victoria? You can go buy a rapid antigen test at a pharmacy and do it yourself. I've heard some people have been asked to provide photo evidence of a negative test. For me, it was just fulling out the Queensland arrival form and attesting that I had a negative test on that form, and they didn't ask me for anything else. Also they were super casual about it, there was no security checkpoint or anything, they were just hanging out at the baggage pickup and asking random people to see the QR code.

Oh that is good to know regarding interstate travel requirements🙂 ! i was actually asking about if directly landing to Queensland from our home country situation... Would u have insight on that? 🙂

 

[Wolvvs]

Oh that is good to know regarding interstate travel requirements🙂 ! i was actually asking about if directly landing to Queensland from our home country situation... Would u have insight on that? 🙂

Got it. It may be a good idea to take a deeper look but based on the website, it doesn't look like covid testing is even a requirement. Which makes sense, because you're going to have to quarantine anyway. Did you see a mention of covid testing anywhere? I didn't on this website: Entering Queensland from overseas

At this point, I still feel like it may be a better idea to enter Australia through Sydney or Melbourne.

 

[doc202]

Got it. It may be a good idea to take a deeper look but based on the website, it doesn't look like covid testing is even a requirement. Which makes sense, because you're going to have to quarantine anyway. Did you see a mention of covid testing anywhere? I didn't on this website: Entering Queensland from overseas

At this point, I still feel like it may be a better idea to enter Australia through Sydney or Melbourne.

Hey there. Just out of curiosity, why do you think entering through Sydney/Melbourne is better? To avoid the 14 quarantine? I’m asking cause I planned to go straight to Brisbane too. But am double guessing that now and wondering if I’m too late to change it up (for accommodation purposes).

 

[Wolvvs]

Hey there. Just out of curiosity, why do you think entering through Sydney/Melbourne is better? To avoid the 14 quarantine? I’m asking cause I planned to go straight to Brisbane too. But am double guessing that now and wondering if I’m too late to change it up (for accommodation purposes).

Yes mostly to avoid the quarantine, but also because there's a good chance you'll be able to enter queensland immediately when they hit a 90% vaccination rate whereas you'll probably need to complete 14 days of quarantine regardless of when they hit 90%.

On the other hand, covid case rates are exploding right now and the Queensland government has always been over cautious. At this point I think the cat's out of the bag and closing the borders again would be a politically very silly thing to do, but there's always that chance. So the safest option is still ultimately to enter Queensland directly and go into quarantine.

I still think entering via Sydney or Melbourne is better though. 14 days of quarantine is no joke--I went through 3 days of poorly enforced quarantine, and even that got old really fast.

 

[med4evah]

Got it. It may be a good idea to take a deeper look but based on the website, it doesn't look like covid testing is even a requirement. Which makes sense, because you're going to have to quarantine anyway. Did you see a mention of covid testing anywhere? I didn't on this website: Entering Queensland from overseas

At this point, I still feel like it may be a better idea to enter Australia through Sydney or Melbourne.

Hi Wolves 🙂, I read this:

From this website:

Entering Queensland from a hotspot

www.qld.gov.au

 

[doc202]

Yes mostly to avoid the quarantine, but also because there's a good chance you'll be able to enter queensland immediately when they hit a 90% vaccination rate whereas you'll probably need to complete 14 days of quarantine regardless of when they hit 90%.

On the other hand, covid case rates are exploding right now and the Queensland government has always been over cautious. At this point I think the cat's out of the bag and closing the borders again would be a politically very silly thing to do, but there's always that chance. So the safest option is still ultimately to enter Queensland directly and go into quarantine.

I still think entering via Sydney or Melbourne is better though. 14 days of quarantine is no joke--I went through 3 days of poorly enforced quarantine, and even that got old really fast.

Thanks for sharing. I completely get it. I initially thought the 14 days would be fine but now it seems like tall order. If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of accommodation did UQ give you in Sydney?

 

[Wolvvs]

Hi Wolves 🙂, I read this: View attachment 347750

From this website:

Entering Queensland from a hotspot

www.qld.gov.au

Got it. "Hotspot travellers" refers to domestic travelers entering from basically anywhere in Australia that isn't Queensland. International travelers are subject to different rules.

I would recommend starting here: Travelling to Queensland

Go through their questionnaire and it should direct you to the correct information.

 

[med4evah]

Yes mostly to avoid the quarantine, but also because there's a good chance you'll be able to enter queensland immediately when they hit a 90% vaccination rate whereas you'll probably need to complete 14 days of quarantine regardless of when they hit 90%.

On the other hand, covid case rates are exploding right now and the Queensland government has always been over cautious. At this point I think the cat's out of the bag and closing the borders again would be a politically very silly thing to do, but there's always that chance. So the safest option is still ultimately to enter Queensland directly and go into quarantine.

I still think entering via Sydney or Melbourne is better though. 14 days of quarantine is no joke--I went through 3 days of poorly enforced quarantine, and even that got old really fast.

Hi, I thought that once it hits 90% andif we are to travel after, we wont need to quaratine. I read this to infer that
website:Queensland’s COVID-19 Vaccine Plan To Unite Families

Please do correct me if i am missing something! TY 🙂

 

[Wolvvs]

Thanks for sharing. I completely get it. I initially thought the 14 days would be fine but now it seems like tall order. If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of accommodation did UQ give you in Sydney?

They put us at Urbanest Darling Harbor. It's student housing with meals included, so the rooms are like dorm rooms (but no roommates). Not bad for two weeks, although I know a few students did decide to go get Airbnbs to have a bit more space. The location is excellent, perfect for walking around Sydney. I'm really glad I had the chance to do that, it was really nice to just relax a while and get adjusted to the new time while also being able to explore the city at my own pace.

 

[Wolvvs]

Hi, I thought that once it hits 90% andif we are to travel after, we wont need to quaratine. I read this to infer that
website:Queensland’s COVID-19 Vaccine Plan To Unite Families

Please do correct me if i am missing something! TY 🙂

Yes you are correct, but waiting for Queensland to hit 90% second vaccination rate before travelling is very risky IMO. The Guardian says that they expect Queensland to hit 90% between Jan 23-28. I don't know when your orientation is but it must be around then right?

 

[med4evah]

Yes you are correct, but waiting for Queensland to hit 90% second vaccination rate before travelling is very risky IMO. The Guardian says that they expect Queensland to hit 90% between Jan 23-28. I don't know when your orientation is but it must be around then right?

Indeed...Thank you 🙂

 

[Wolvvs]

Hey @Wolvvs, did UQ transport you from Urbanest to syd airport and from Brisbane airport to your accommodation?

UQ offers transportation from the airport to your accommodation. So they provided transport from Sydney airport to the Urbanest there, and they provided transport from Brisbane airport to my current accommodation (although I did have to fill out the form for this to happen). I took an uber from Urbanest to Sydney airport, and if you order UberXL there should be no problem getting your bags in.

 

[Wolvvs]

Awesome, and what airline did you take? Were they lenient with luggage weight and size?

I took Virgin Australia. They basically follow the luggage rules listed on their website. The ticket was around A$60. That price included 1x23kg checked luggage, and I paid A$40 for one more checked luggage. I don't remember the overweight fees but I think they're quite a bit more. The 23 kg limit is consistent with most international flights entering Australia anyway so if you can get into Australia without any issue you should be fine as long as you purchase the additional checked bag in advance and don't add too much weight to your bags before your flight.

 

[Wolvvs]

Why did you choose virgin over Qantas?

Price only, it's a short flight so I didn't really care about anything else. Qantas tends to be more expensive, but you need to look at flights on the specific day you want to travel. Jetstar tends to show the cheapest price on Google Flights but the cost to add bags brings the price up quite a bit. Honestly you should have plenty of time to sort this out once you get here.

 

[Wolvvs]

Just to confirm, there’s no mandatory testing required once I land in Queensland after 14 days in Sydney right?

As far as I can tell, no required testing. There was a requirement for a test day 5 after arriving but they scrapped it a few days ago.

 

[sean80439]

The sequential testing is now for close contacts if you are a HCW - all you need is a negative test prior to entry as far as I can tell. Honestly who knows, I get emails daily and things keep changing without any science and data to back it up.