‘Not a rubber stamp’: Twitter questions immigration form vaccine process

Twitter users have questioned how discerning Australia’s travel declaration process for international arrivals is, as Novak Djokovic’s visa battle continues.

Social media users have questioned how discerning Australia’s travel declaration process for international arrivals is, as Novak Djokovic enters his third day in immigration detention.

Djokovic’s lawyers are currently challenging the Australian Border Force’s decision to cancel the World No. 1’s visa, amid claims the unvaccinated star did not provide sufficient evidence upon arrival in Melbourne to support the vaccine exemption he was granted in order to play in the Australian Open.

And Twitter users have attempted to replicate the process the player may have gone through in order to gain entry to Australia.

Open Court’s Stephanie Myles shared a screenshot of message on Twitter, writing: “This is the approval you get when you fill out the ATD (Australian travel declaration) online. If you get to the question where they ask you about your vax status, you can tick off ‘I declare that I am exempt from vaccination requirements and I have evidence to support this’.”

“(I don’t know if you then upload that ‘evidence’, the way you do your vax information, Because obviously I filled in my vax information),” she added.

“But if they don’t, and you *declare* you have the evidence to back it up, that probably will get you the green check.”

Novak Djokovic claims immigration in Australia cleared his vaccine exemption. Picture: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Social media users have detailed their experience filling out Australia’s declaration form. Picture: David Crosling

“Not sure an Australian Travel Declaration document is the rubber stamp that some people think it is,” The Times tennis correspondent Stuart Fraser wrote on Twitter.

“Filled it out yesterday and it gave me an automated approval based on my answers within seconds. Still relies on me to present valid documents at the border to back up my answers.”

Djokovic claims he received a letter from Australia’s immigration department days before his arrival saying he met the requirements for quarantine-free travel to Australia, because he had been infected with virus for a second time just over a fortnight ago.

This is the approval you get when you fill out the ATD online.

If you get to the question where they ask you about your vax status, you can tick off "I declare that I am exempt from vaccination requirements and I have evidence to support this" pic.twitter.com/TE61wWQJja

— Stephanie Myles (@OpenCourt) January 8, 2022

Not sure an Australian Travel Declaration document is the rubber stamp that some people think it is. Filled it out yesterday and it gave me an automated approval based on my answers within seconds. Still relies on me to present valid documents at the border to back up my answers.

— Stuart Fraser (@stu_fraser) January 8, 2022

The Victorian website for international travellers still lists a prior infection as a valid exemption criteria, three days after #Djokovic was detained. https://t.co/ZKwwuClimhpic.twitter.com/dEXSHtTgHm

— SaÅ¡a Ozmo (@ozmo_sasa) January 8, 2022

According to The Australian, the letter Djokovic’s legal team appears to be referring to is “self-generated”, based on data provided by the traveller to the Australian Travel Declaration app, and does not validate whether the passenger has a valid visa, travel exemption or provides approvals for entry into Australia.

The 34-year-old famously first contracted the virus during his Adria Tour in June 2020. In a filing to the Federal Circuit and Family Court on Saturday, Djokovic’s lawyers said that he again returned a positive Covid-19 PCR test on December 16.

The documents state the world number one had been provided with a “medical exemption from Covid vaccination” on the grounds he had recently recovered.

He was granted a visa to enter Australia on November 18, and on December 30 received an exemption certificate from the chief medical officer of Tennis Australia (TA). Djokovic’s lawyers also state the player received a letter on January 1 from the Department of Home Affairs, saying he met the requirements for vaccine-free travel.

On the Victorian Government website for International travellers, prior infection within six months of arrival to Australia is still listed as a valid exemption criteria.

Djokovic missed exemption cut-off by six days

According to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Australian Border Force (ABF), though, Djokovic did not provide sufficient evidence to justify his vaccination exemption.

Djokovic had been relying on a Tennis Australia exemption certificate issued under the guidance players did not need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 if they could confirm they tested positive within the past six months.

“The following has now been clarified as a category for which you may be eligible for a temporary medical exemption: Recent PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (after 31 July 2021) where a vaccination can be deferred until six months after the infection,” TA said in a letter to players and their teams.

The same document also made it clear that any applications for a medical exemption needed to be sent “no later than Friday 10 December 2021” — six days before Djokovic tested positive, meaning a positive Covid test would have come too late for TA’s exemption guidelines.

Australian government gave Djokovic the all-clear

This latest development suggests had he not tested positive, Djokovic would have missed the Australian Open unless he was fully vaccinated or had another valid reason for obtaining an exemption.

“Mr Djokovic had received, on 30 December 2021, a letter from the Chief Medical Office of Tennis Australia (‘Exemption Certificate’) recording that he had been provided with a ‘medical exemption from COVID vaccination’ on the ground that he had recently recovered from COVID,” the court document reads.

“The Exemption Certificate also recorded that … the date of the first positive COVID PCR test was recorded on 16 December 2021, it had now been 14 days, and Mr Djokovic had not had a fever or respiratory symptoms of COVID-19 in the last 72 hours.”

Protesters hold placards up outside the Melbourne detention centre Djokovic is currently in. Picture: William West/AFP

The documents also reveal Djokovic had received a letter from the Department of Home Affairs on January 1 informing him that his Australian Travel Declaration appeared to meet the requirements.

“The Declaration Assessment told Mr Djokovic that “(his) Australia Travel Declaration (had) been assessed”, and that “(his) responses indicate(d) that (he met) the requirements for a quarantine-free arrival into Australia where permitted by the jurisdiction of your arrival”, that jurisdiction being Victoria,” the documents read.

“Mr Djokovic understood that he was entitled to enter Australia and Victoria and to compete in the Australian Tennis Open.”

Tennis Australia responds to controversy

TA is under scrutiny after the Herald Sun revealed the governing body told unvaccinated players they were eligible to enter the country for the Australian Open with an exemption if they had caught Covid within the last six months.

That is despite the Federal Government informing Tennis Australia prior infections were not covered in its guidelines for medical exemptions. Letters sent from Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt to TA in November allegedly show the governing body was aware of this caveat before giving players advice.

TA boss and Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley addressed the Djokovic controversy in a leaked video sent to staff members.

“Unfortunately over the last couple of days, there’s been a circumstance that relates to a couple of players, Novak particularly, and (we are) in a situation that is very difficult,” Mr Tiley said.

“There’s a lot of finger pointing going on and a lot of blaming going on, but I can assure you our team has done an unbelievable job and have done everything they possibly could according to all the instructions that they have been provided.”