SYDNEY: Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke has decided that Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic’s visa should be revoked once again...
SYDNEY: Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke has decided that Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic’s visa should be revoked once again, according to the minister’s statement published on Fri-day.
Based on the immigration chief’s decision, Djokovic’s visa has once again been revoked so the tennis star will have to soon leave the country. In addition, Djokovic will face a three-year entry ban.
"Today, I exercised my power under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visa held by Mr. Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so," the statement reads. "In making this decision, I carefully considered information provided to me by the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Border Force, and Mr. Djokovic," Hawke added.
According to him, the "Morrison Government is firmly committed to protecting Australia’s borders, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic."
The Serbian player’s lawyers said they planned to go to court to make sure that Djokovic could stay in the country for the duration of legal proceedings and take part in the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic was detained at Australia’s Melbourne Airport on January 5 after failing to provide proof of his medical exemption for coronavirus vaccines to Australian border control officers. His visa was canceled and he was informed of the need to leave the country. Djokovic went to Australia’s federal court, challenging the legitimacy of the border force’s decision, and won the case. The Australian authorities said that they intended to once again revoke the athlete’s visa and deport him from the country.
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