Seven Iranian footballers and officials sought asylum on Australian soil this month — and now the country is closing its doors to visitors from Iran entirely.
Canberra imposed a six-month ban on tourist and work visas for Iranian passport holders Thursday, citing fears that the ongoing Middle East conflict has made it more likely that short-stay visitors will simply not leave when their visas run out.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke framed the decision as a matter of policy control. “Decisions about permanent stays in Australia should be deliberate decisions of the government, not a random consequence of who booked a holiday,” he said.
The Department of Home Affairs acknowledged that a large number of visitor visas had already been issued before hostilities began — visas it said would likely not have been approved under present circumstances. “There are many visitor visas which were issued before the conflict in Iran which may not have been issued if they were applied for now,” Burke said.
The blanket restriction carries limited exemptions. Parents of Australian citizens, along with other compelling individual cases, may still be considered on a case-by-case basis, the department said.
The ban lands against a backdrop of diplomatic friction between Canberra and Tehran. Australia granted asylum to seven members of Iran’s visiting women’s football delegation after several players refused to sing their national anthem ahead of an Asian Cup match — a public act widely interpreted as defiance toward the Islamic republic. The players were labeled “traitors” by authorities back home. Five of the seven later withdrew their asylum bids, a reversal that prompted concern their relatives in Iran may have faced pressure.
Iran is well represented in Australia’s population, with government data showing more than 85,000 Australian residents born there, concentrated in communities across Sydney and Melbourne.
The Home Affairs department said the conflict had “increased the risk that some temporary visa holders may be unable or unlikely to depart Australia when their visas expire.”
