Here’s The TL;DR If You’re An Australian Traveling To The United States

In the mess and confusion of U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order over the weekend, many Australians are still left wondering about WTF is going on.

Joel Carrett / AAPIMAGE

First, the citizens of the seven predominantly Muslim countries named in Trump’s executive order, which are Iran, Iraq, Syrian, Libya, Yemen, Sudan and Somalia, have been banned for 90 days from entering the United States.
Next, BuzzFeed News confirmed Australian citizens who hold dual nationality with any of the countries mentioned above have also banned.
Unlike Canada, Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she was aware that Aussie dual nationals are affected.
“We are aware that visa issuance to nationals of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen has been suspended following the signing of the Executive Order on Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Attacks by Foreign Nationals on 27 January 2017,” Bishop said in a statement.
“The Australian Embassy in Washington is engaging with US officials on the potential implications of the suspension for Australian travellers, including dual nationals.”
There were also multiple reports last week claiming that the order would also scrap the easy-ESTA waiver system that allows Australians into the US without an interview. That’s not true, the ESTA-system is still functioning and you can read about that here.
But according to a recent government update, Australians who’ve travelled to Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Sudan and/or Somalia since March 2011, are not able to get an ESTA visa waiver and need to apply for visas through the US embassy or consulate.
There are exceptions for the Australian Defence Force and you can read about them on the Smart Traveller website.