Tasmanian couple call for increase to number of overseas arrivals to help Australian expats

While Nicole Abery, of Hobart, and Angus Cumming, of Burnie, are grateful to be back on home soil and quarantining in Sydney, they are about $20,000 in debt.

"You want someone to say welcome back, and everyone knows the situation, but they made us feel like criminals," Nicole said.

"I was crying as I was finally getting through to the bus and even though I was clearly emotional no one said anything. "It feels so good to be back in Australia but we have a journey ahead of us to get back in Tasmania, which is still a bit of a worry."

Nicole said she understood why the caps on overseas arrivals was in place but believed more needed to be done to help Australians.

The Australian government's smartaveller website states caps on the numbers of passengers coming into Australian airports is in place to ease pressure on state and territory quarantine facilities.

"There needs to be more trust in Australians to quarantine at home. On our flight there was maybe 20 people, if that, which is crazy," Nicole said. "I don't think the Australian Government is considering how Australians are feeling and how they would feel if it was something their family was experiencing."

Returning has been an emotional process for the couple who initially spent $5,500 on flights in December, which were cancelled and turned into flight credit rather than refunded.

This delay forced them to overstay their visas.

Thanks to an Australian travel agent they were able to secure flight on Japan airlines for $11,000 for January in addition to the $4,000 quarantine fee.

Nicole, a school teacher, contracted the virus in March and continues to have no sense of taste and smell despite attempts to help it return while Angus has no long term side effects from having the virus.

"It has been really frustrating," she said.

Nicole is looking forward to returning to the classroom in Hobart and is hopeful she can make the start of the school year on time on account of quarantine requirements.

Angus said their families had been "phenomenal" in supporting them through the process despite feeling helpless.

"Even for the politicians there is nothing they can do and that is the feeling our families have had, but they have been amazing," he said.