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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCandace Owens was refused a visa for Australia in October 2024, and the High Court upheld that decision in 2025. New Zealand initially refused her an entertainer’s work permit because Australia had excluded her, but a minister later granted her a visa. So “banned from these countries” is an imprecise description: the two countries made different decisions, and New Zealand reversed its initial refusal.
Why Australia refused Owens a visa
Owens Farmer, a US citizen, applied on 12 September 2024 for a Temporary Activity (Class GG) visa to make a planned speaking tour. On 25 October 2024, Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke refused the application under section 501(3) of the Migration Act 1958.
The official case summary says Burke reasonably suspected that Owens did not pass the character test because of a risk she would “incite discord in the Australian community or in a segment of that community.” He was also satisfied that refusing the visa was in the national interest. The decision was a visa refusal under Australian law, not a general prohibition on Owens entering every country.
The High Court of Australia’s case summary sets out the application, statutory basis and stated grounds.
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What the High Court decided
Owens challenged the refusal in the High Court of Australia. On 15 October 2025, all seven justices rejected her challenge. The Court held that section 501(6)(d)(iv) did not infringe the Constitution’s implied freedom of political communication and that the minister’s decision was not invalid. The ruling upheld the refusal; it did not convert it into a ban imposed by the Court.
The judgment in Farmer v Minister for Home Affairs [2025] HCA 38 records the Court’s reasoning and outcome.
Why New Zealand initially refused her—and what changed
In November 2024, Immigration New Zealand initially refused Owens an entertainer’s work permit because she had been excluded from Australia. The reported basis for that refusal was her Australian exclusion, not a separate New Zealand finding about her political views. Associated Press reported the initial decision on 28 November 2024.
In December 2024, Associate Immigration Minister Chris Penk intervened and granted Owens a visa after considering representations that included the importance of free speech. The initial refusal is therefore part of the timeline, not evidence that New Zealand continues to bar her. Associated Press reported the visa grant on 12 December 2024.
How the two countries’ decisions differ
| Country | Initial decision | Basis reported or stated | Later outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Temporary Activity visa refused in October 2024. | The minister cited character-test concerns, a risk of inciting discord and the national interest. | The High Court rejected Owens’s challenge on 15 October 2025 and held the refusal was not invalid. |
| New Zealand | Entertainer’s work permit refused in November 2024. | Her prior exclusion from Australia was the basis reported for the initial refusal. | An Associate Immigration Minister granted her a visa in December 2024 after considering representations. |
What “banned” means in this case
For Australia, the precise description is that Owens’s visa was refused and the refusal survived a High Court challenge. For New Zealand, she was initially refused a work permit, then granted a visa by ministerial intervention. Those are not equivalent outcomes, and the available record does not support saying that both countries currently maintain an entry ban.
There is no substantiated third-country ban in the sources cited here. That is not proof that no other decision exists; it means an additional country should not be named without direct evidence.
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What officials said
On 16 October 2025, a day after the High Court decision, Burke said: “Australia’s national interest is best served when Candace Owens is somewhere else.” This was the minister’s public statement, not wording from the Court’s judgment. It appears in the Australian Department of Home Affairs transcript of Burke’s National Press Club address.
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