Visitor / Tourist Visa
The Australian Visitor Visa Program is for people residing in/or outside Australia, who wish to or are considering applying for any of the visitor visa subclasses. It is a temporary visa that allows for the entry to Australia of genuine visitors wanting to undertake any of the following activities:
- Holiday and recreation
- Visiting family and friends
- Business visitor activities
- Medical Treatment
- Transit
- Volunteer work
- Cruise
- Intending to study or receive training for less than 3 months
- Holiday and work (open to citizens of certain countries only)
- On a tour with a registered travel agent from the People’s Republic of China
- You travel to Australia frequently and are a passport holder of the People’s Republic of China
The “Subclass” & “Stream” of Visitor Visa that an applicant must apply for would depend on the following factors:
- Purpose of visit
- Nationality of passport
You can’t include family members in your application. A separate application must be made for each member of your family, including those listed on your passport.
Generally, Visitor visas are granted for periods between 3 to 12 months and for single or multiple entries to Australia. Visitor Visas for longer periods may be granted in limited circumstances, such as –
- For eligible parents of Australian Citizens or Permanent Residents, OR
- Under exceptional circumstances
The period for which your visitor visa is granted would normally depend on how long you want to stay in Australia and why you want to visit Australia.
Some important points to note regarding visitor visas are as follows:
- Your intention to visit Australia on a visitor visa must be genuine and not be with the intention of establishing a de facto residency in Australia.
- Applicants for visitor visas must submit genuine and authentic documents in support of their application.
- A visitor visa applicant can be sponsored by a family or friend.
- You can’t include family members in your application. A separate application must be filed for each member of the family.
- All visitor visas impose a mandatory “no work condition”.
- Visitor visa applicants from India, China and UAE, applying under the tourist or business streams only, are permitted to apply for priority processing of their visas. This is an optional service which an applicant can choose upon payment of a “Priority Service Fee”, which is on top of the regular fees that an applicant has to pay.
Whether a visitor visa applicant can apply online or lodge a paper application would depend on two factors:
- The visitor visa subclass you are applying for, and
- Your nationality of passport
Contact us to know which Visitor Visa is the right one for you and to apply for the subclass & stream that is most appropriate for you as per prevailing Australian immigration laws.