Provisional statistics on international travel movements of persons arriving in Australia. It is the number of international border crossings rather than the number of people.
Key findings
All overseas arrivals to Australia in September 2020 (provisional estimates):
- 16,700 estimated trips, 8,900 of these are Australian citizens
- 8.3% increase compared to the previous month and a 99.0% decrease compared to the corresponding month of the previous year
- 7.2% of all arrivals were New Zealand citizens, the largest group apart from Australian citizens returning home
- 10.3% of all arrivals were those arriving on temporary other visas.
All arrivals - by citizenship
The five largest countries of citizenship (excluding Australian) for all arrivals to Australia in September 2020 were:
- New Zealand (1,200), increasing 6.4% compared to the previous month
- UK (850), increasing 32.4%
- China (780), increasing 24.1%
- India (700), increasing 12.6%
- USA (600), increasing 12.9%.
| Country of citizenship | Sep-19 | Aug-20 | Sep-20 | Aug-20 to Sep-20 % change | Sep-19 to Sep-20 % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 166,900 | 1,130 | 1,210 | 6.4% | -99.3% |
| UK(b) | 67,670 | 640 | 850 | 32.4% | -98.7% |
| China(c) | 124,330 | 630 | 780 | 24.1% | -99.4% |
| India | 49,520 | 620 | 700 | 12.6% | -98.6% |
| USA | 50,790 | 530 | 600 | 12.9% | -98.8% |
| Philippines | 17,840 | 150 | 240 | 62.1% | -98.7% |
| Vanuatu | 1,400 | - | 170 | n.a | -87.7% |
| Ireland | 9,020 | 90 | 160 | 75.0% | -98.2% |
| France | 17,630 | 160 | 150 | -3.9% | -99.2% |
| Japan | 42,690 | 160 | 150 | -7.5% | -99.7% |
(a) To confidentialise, estimates have been rounded to the nearest 10.
(b) Includes the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
(c) Excludes SARs & Taiwan.
n.a - The percentage change could not be calculated because the denominator is zero
All arrivals - by visa group
The three largest visa groups arriving in Australia in September 2020 were:
- Temporary other visas (1,700), increasing 23.1% compared to the previous month
- Permanent skilled visas (1,100), increasing 18.9%
- Temporary visitor visas (1,000), increasing 11.6%.
| Visa Group | Sep-19 | Aug-20 | Sep-20 | Aug-20 to Sep-20 % change | Sep-19 to Sep-20 % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent Family Visas | 23,900 | 880 | 950 | 8.0% | -96.0% |
| Permanent Other Visas | 55,420 | 850 | 1,010 | 18.5% | -98.2% |
| Permanent Skilled Visas | 41,570 | 940 | 1,120 | 18.9% | -97.3% |
| Temporary Other Visas | 33,930 | 1,400 | 1,720 | 23.1% | -94.9% |
| Temporary Skilled Visas | 20,530 | 470 | 680 | 46.1% | -96.7% |
| Temporary Student Visas | 47,640 | 50 | 80 | 57.7% | -99.8% |
| Temporary Visitor Visas | 459,980 | 910 | 1,020 | 11.6% | -99.8% |
| Temporary Work Visas | 28,120 | 50 | 60 | 29.8% | -99.8% |
(a) To confidentialise, estimates have been rounded to the nearest 10.
All arrivals - by state or territory of clearance
All international travellers must be processed and cleared by Australia's Border Force via specific seaports or airports around the country. This information provides the state or territory of clearance for each traveller.
For September 2020 when comparing to the previous month, increases were recorded for:
- NT (94.6%)
- Qld (18.4%)
- SA (12.4%)
- NSW (4.4%)
- WA (1.0%)
Decreases were recorded for:
- Vic. (78.6%)
- ACT (50.0%)
Note: Large percentage changes can be observed due to monthly fluctuations of small numbers
| State of clearance | Sep-19 | Aug-20 | Sep-20 | Aug-20 to Sep-20 % change | Sep-19 to Sep-20 % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 675,210 | 9,660 | 10,090 | 4.4% | -98.5% |
| Vic. | 480,220 | 70 | 20 | -78.6% | -100.0% |
| Qld | 328,740 | 2,050 | 2,430 | 18.4% | -99.3% |
| SA | 54,000 | 1,120 | 1,260 | 12.4% | -97.7% |
| WA | 189,490 | 2,150 | 2,170 | 1.0% | -98.9% |
| Tas. | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - |
| NT | 17,700 | 390 | 750 | 94.6% | -95.8% |
| ACT | 3,670 | 0 | 0 | -50.0% | -99.9% |
(a) To confidentialise, estimates have been rounded to the nearest 10.