In the high stakes legal battle between Novak Djokovic and the Australian government, it’s a game for Australia, love for Djokovic. The world No 1 player may not be allowed to stay in the country to compete at the Australian Open after the government again revoked his visa on the grounds that he refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
“Today I exercised my power under section 133C(3) of the Immigration Act to cancel a visa held by Mr Novak Djokovic for reasons of health and good order, on a public interest basis. should do,” Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said Friday, a day after Djokovic featured in the Open draw.
The 34-year-old famous tennis player is now likely to be placed in the same immigration detention center where he spent four days after attempting to enter the country on January 6 unless he is granted a “visa visa”. real bridging” while he appealed the decision. His attorney has 28 days to decision appeal. In the meantime, if he is not granted a temporary visa, he may choose to leave the country voluntarily or he may be subject to forced deportation.
Before this decision, the tennis superstar admitted to sitting for an interview and taking pictures with a French news agency after testing positive and making false statements on his immigration application that he had not gone for 14 days before arriving. Australia. He called attending the photo session “a mistake in judgment” and said the misrepresentation on the form was an “administrative mistake” by someone on his team.
Djokovic, who has tried to evade revealing his vaccination status, received a waiver from the Australian Open before arriving in Melbourne on January 6. He tested positive for coronavirus in December in Serbia, which he claims gave him immunity. and exempt him from Australia’s immunization duty.
Australian officials revoked his visa on arrival, citing the country requiring all foreign visitors to be vaccinated. Djokovic also found a transcript of his interview with a border official – “I’m not vaccinated” – made public. His family held multiple press conferences supporting his anti-vaccination stance while he was in custody.
Tennis superstar has detained for four days at one of Australia’s most notorious immigration hotels but, after a trial hit by a Zoom bomber, was released in court on January 10, a decision met Noisy protests and pepper spray by police.
Djokovic’s instillation with the Australian government has appealed to the people of this country, who have faced one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. More than 90 per cent of the population of Victoria, including Melbourne, are vaccinated.
