Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said Australia will allow foreign visa holders to enter the country from the start of December as it takes further steps to restart international travel and support the economy, Reuters reports.

Australia shut its international border in May 2020 and allowed only restricted numbers of citizens and permanent residents to enter in a bid to curtail the spread of Covid-19. The rules were relaxed in recent weeks to allow foreign family members of citizens to enter, and Morrison said this will be scaled up from December 1 to allow vaccinated students, business visa holders and refugees to arrive.

"The return of skilled workers and students to Australia is a major milestone in our pathway back," Morrison told reporters in Canberra.