Australian government canceled the visa of Novak Djokovic. He could be forced to leave the country within hours. In a completely unexpected twist, immigration minister Alex Hawke has used his power to enforce Australian law.
The tennis player will not play the 10th Australian Open this Monday. Djokovic’s only option is to appeal the decision through his lawyers, but time is against him. In the next few hours, Djokovic could be deported from Australia and banned for up to 3 years.
Mr. Hawke late on Friday afternoon said:
“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.
“This decision followed orders by the Federal Circuit and Family Court on 10 January 2022, quashing a prior cancellation decision on procedural fairness grounds.
“In making this decision, I carefully considered information provided to me by the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Border Force, and Mr. Djokovic.
The decision is argued in the welfare of Australia and provides an example to the rest of the world. Australia will not make any exceptions to its biosafety protocols.
