Travelers Convicted of Domestic Violence Can No Longer Enter Australia

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Australia has a notoriously strict policy on bringing specific things like food, plants or animal items in. But the country's government is now cracking down on travelers themselves, recently amending its visa rules so that no one with domestic violence convictions will be allowed in.

As it stands, US citizens — in addition to citizens of all countries except New Zealand — need to apply for a visa before entering Australia. Anyone applying for a visa to enter Australia must meet "character requirements," and will not be granted entry if they might be considered a danger to the Australian community.

When issuing the new directive, the country's Minister of Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs David Coleman said, "Australia has no tolerance for perpetrators of violence against women and children."

The new rule, which came into effect February 28th, was intended to protect Australian citizens from anyone from anywhere in the world who has committed a crime against women or children, the government said. The law stands regardless of the sentence the traveler received or the country in which the crime was committed. The new directive came as an addition to a previous law stating that a traveler's visa would be canceled if sentenced to 12 or more months in prison. The new measure also applies to people who are already in the country and have been convicted of such crimes previously; they will be expelled.