British Travelers Stranded in Australia and New Zealand

A similar situation seems to exist in Singapore and Peru.
Limited government assistance and even less information available.

Whilst this matters somewhat less for people like me who have housing out here there are countless people effectively marooned by the government here.
Even their attempts to 'help' seem ham fisted, with several people getting an email from the HC offering them a repatriation flight for the cheap and cheerful sum of $3500 one way. For a country that makes pretenses to global power it comes across as moderately disgraceful that it is failing in one of its most basic duties to protect its citizens. I mean surely the RAF and RN exist for a reason? As opposed to bankrupting people on commercial flights that likely wont even go head.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52013572

*travellers

Eh?

you misspelt in the title.

Indeed, that is the most pressing part of this thread, it must be said.

I’m not usually one for saying the government should intervene, that being said we’ve told people to come home. It seems logical that we make the effort to make that happen.

A new email blast from the High Commission just arrived, they've upped the offer to £7500 for a ticket. It comes across as somewhat galling for the poor sods who don't have a large wedge of cash.

So unfortunate... The government is a joke in situations like did, utterly useless, hopeless... £7.5k for a ticket in such a crisis beyond control like dis is ridiculous and isn't fair at all...

New price of £40,000 🙄
https://www.theguardian.com/global/2020/mar/28/stranded-britons-quoted-40000-each-to-fly-home-from-new-zealand?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

omg, insane ! Embarrassing government here is to have in such times...

Glad I'd cancelled on my year abroad now, otherwise that'd probably be me too. Ridiculous that the Government are just leaving them to fend for themselves.

To those who have registered in the past 24 hours – thank you. I am using this daily message to update British nationals in New Zealand on the work we are doing on your behalf at this difficult time. My previous messages are copied below.



Firstly, we know how challenging the New Zealand government’s Level 4 restrictions on domestic travel have been for those of you who are not based in Auckland to take advantage of the limited international flights on offer. Whilst the guidance is very clear from New Zealand authorities, we are also clear that they need to provide a means for international travellers to get to airports in a way that is compliant with NZ’s COVID response.



Unfortunately, we’re not going to find an immediate fix to that problem, so many of you will need to remain where you are for at least the next few days. We will continue to update you on any progress we make in finding a solution to the domestic travel issue. If that means you are faced with accommodation challenges the New Zealand temporary accommodation service is available to visitors as well as New Zealanders. To register with the Temporary Accommodation Service for a place to stay during the Level 4 response, call +64 (0)508 754 163.



We also know how important it is that routes from Christchurch are opened up so that those of you who are in the South Island are able to take advantage of any international flights that are put on. We are working with airlines such as Singapore, Malaysian, Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific to get routes back up and running from Christchurch, as well as increased capacity from Auckland.



Many of you have expressed concern about the costs of those commercial flights which are running at the moment – particularly those put on by Qatar Airways. We know that in a lot of cases this has meant that these flights are beyond your reach. Ultimately, flight pricing is a commercial decision for the airlines. But we are strongly encouraging them to look at this point seriously – including from a reputational perspective – and also expect that, once more commercial routes are up and running, the greater element of competition will keep prices down. So we hope these efforts mean you will soon see flights back to the UK which are offered at more affordable prices.



We are doing all we can in what is an extraordinarily complex global crisis. As a London colleague put it on the phone last night, “we have never had to evacuate the whole world before… and right at a time when the whole travel industry is also in crisis”. We are completely focused on supporting you – and are grateful also for your patience and understanding at this extraordinary time.



Finally, some of you have been able to secure flights home via some of the routes still open. If you are one of those and do make your way home, please let us know. This will help us to focus our efforts on those people remaining in New Zealand, and to adjust our assistance accordingly.



We will continue to update you on any progress we make with regards to air travel through this daily email and throughout the day on our social media channels.



All best,

Unfair very much it is. I heard from someone that if someone from India went on holiday abroad and ended up stranded, then the India Government would actually help bring them back. This made me wonder why the UK government over here, despite UK being such a developed, rich country, still won't help at all to bring back those stranded abroad... Makes no sense... What's the future of such people ? Is cash their main concern ? Especially as short term accommodation like a hotel can cost a lot more than a long-term Perm place to stay at like a flat. Is there any issue if Visa expires ? After all, they are under exceptional circumstances given covid... I feel sorry for these people stranded abroad. I'm glad I went on holiday over Christmas and not more recently...

Specifically this is the kind of wishy washy nonsense they are sending to people;
An extremely long winded way of saying 'you're buggered and we're not going to help'.

Can't speak for all countries but i know many are automatically rolling over the longer term visas depending on their expiry date and others are simply encouraging you to reapply (a formality).