Maritime Global Processing Centre holiday opening hours

30 Nov 2021 / Australia

During the upcoming Christmas and New Year holiday periods, Australia’s Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs) Maritime Global Processing Centre (MGPC) will be closed during the following times:
- from 4pm on Friday 24 December 2021 until start of business, Wednesday 29 December 2021;
and
- from 4pm on Friday 31 December 2021 until start of business, Tuesday 3 January 2022.

Processing of some eligible Maritime Crew visas may continue during this period. However, applications requiring further assessment by a departmental officer, such as incomplete visa applications or those requiring further information, will not be decided within this period.

It is the responsibility of crew members to ensure that they have a valid visa for entry into Australia, and for the entire duration of their stay, otherwise penalties may apply. This can include the crew member being restricted on board the vessel and/or infringement notices being issued to the employer.

Those needing Maritime Crew (subclass 988) Visas (MCVs) granted for entry into Australia over the December 2021/January 2022 Christmas and New Year period must lodge their applications at least 14 days prior to departure from a port overseas in order to avoid any issues with delays to processing. This means MCV applications should be lodged no later than Friday 10 December 2021 for crew who are intending to arrive in Australia from an overseas port between 25 December 2021 and 10 January 2022.

The Australian Border Force will remain operational on a continued 24/7 basis over the holiday period.

For information about operations in Australia, contact GAC Australia at [email protected]

If quoting any content from Hot Port News, please cite GAC Hot Port News as the source.