You might come to Australia for reasons such as holidays, sightseeing, social or recreational reasons, to visit relatives, friends, to be a business visitor or for other short-term non-work things like medical treatment or medical consultations. Or you might just be passing through on your way to somewhere else. Whether you are visiting for less than 72 hours or planning on a stay of several years you must have a valid Australian visa.
The aim of Australia’s entry system for visitors is to both manage the growth of visitor numbers in a cost-effective way through the use of cutting edge technology and to deliver a level of service consistent with the expectation of today’s travellers.
New systems and technology, are allowing Australia to develop the world’s most electronically sophisticated immigration entry system for visitors. Australia is expanding its use of online immigration services to provide easy access for our clients around the world.
You might be able to get this visa if you are travelling to Australia:
- as a visitor
- for business visitor activities
- to visit family
- on a tour with a registered travel agent from the People’s Republic of China.
This visa has four streams:
Tourist stream: for people travelling to Australia for a holiday, recreation or to visit family and friends and for other purposes not related to business or medical treatment.
- If you are in Australia, your application must be made in Australia. If you apply for this visa in Australia, you must be in Australia to be granted the visa.
- If you are outside Australia, your application must be made outside Australia. If you apply for this visa outside Australia, you must be outside Australia to be granted the visa.
Business Visitor stream: for business people travelling to Australia for a short business visit. This includes making a general business or employment enquiry, negotiations or participating in a conference.
- You must be outside Australia when you apply, your application must be made outside Australia, and you must be outside Australia to be granted the visa.
Sponsored Family stream: for people travelling to Australia to visit their family. You must have a sponsor who might be asked to provide a bond.
- You must be outside Australia when you apply and you must be outside Australia to be granted the visa.
Approved Destination Status stream: for people from the People’s Republic of China who are travelling in an organised tour group.
- You must be in the People’s Republic of China at time of application and to be granted the visa.
Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) system:
The ETA system was introduced in 1996. It is available to passport holders from a number of countries, regions and locations.
The ETA system can be accessed by more than 300 000 travel agents worldwide, more than 75 airlines and through the internet.
The ETA is an electronically stored authority for travel to Australia for short-term tourist or business visits. It replaces the visa label or stamp in a passport and reduces the need for travellers to visit an Australian Embassy.
Most ETAs are issued immediately by computer links between the department, travel agents, airlines and specialist service providers around the world. In a small number of cases, some additional processing is required.
eVisitor:
The eVisitor is available to passport holders from the European Union and a number of other European countries wanting to visit Australia for tourism or business visitor purposes. The eVisitor authorises multiple entry to Australia over a twelve month period, for stays of up to three months on each occasion.
Business visitor purposes may include attending a conference, negotiation or an exploratory business visit. It does not include work. If you are intending to carry out short-term, non-ongoing highly specialised work in Australia you should apply for the Temporary Work (Short Stay Activity) visa (subclass 400).
Eligible travellers can apply for an eVisitor using the simple online form available from the department’s website.
Tourist e600 visa:
Since July 2013 eligible tourists, business visitors and sponsored family visitors who want to visit Australia can apply for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) online. The department intends to progressively expand online lodgement of the Visitor visa (subclass 600) to all clients.
If a tourist requests a stay period of three months or less, and no further information or checking is required, the application may be granted in a matter of minutes. In other cases, the application will be manually processed by a case officer.
Business visits may include attending a conference, negotiation or an exploratory business visit. It does not include work. If you are intending to carry out short-term, non-ongoing highly specialised work in Australia you should apply for the Temporary Work (Short Stay Activity) visa (subclass 400).
The Sponsored Family stream of the Visitor visa (subclass 600) is intended to be used by people seeking to come to Australia to visit family. The Sponsored Family stream requires formal sponsorship of a visa applicant by an Australian citizen or permanent resident. In some cases, a security bond may be requested.
Formal sponsorship by a sponsor is required to ensure the visa holder will abide by their visa conditions and leave Australia at the end of their visit.
The imposition of a security bond is decided on a case-by-case basis. It is an added assurance that the visa holder will depart Australia and is normally applied in those cases where some concerns remain about an applicant’s intention to comply with their visa conditions.
What does this visa allow you to do?
The Sponsored Family stream will usually allow a stay of three months, but may allow a stay of up to 12 months in certain circumstances. The Sponsored Family stream will generally only allow a single entry into Australia.
The aim of the Sponsored Family stream is to:
- accommodate the many requests from relatives in Australia who want to guarantee their nominated guest will leave Australia before the expiry of their visa
- reduce the high non-return rates for applicants from some countries.
The key features of the visa are:
- mandatory sponsorship
- a discretionary security bond
- penalties will apply to the sponsor if the visitor breaches visa conditions.
Eligibility:
To be eligible to sponsor an applicant for the Sponsored Family stream, the sponsor must be:
- an Australian citizen or permanent resident
- aged 18 years or over
- settled in Australia for a reasonable period, usually two years.
The sponsor must also be one of the following:
- a relative (partner, parent, child, brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, or the ‘step’ or adopted equivalent of any of these)
- a relative of a person who is a member of the family unit of the applicant and who is also applying for a Sponsored Family Visitor visa
- a member of an Australian Parliament (Commonwealth, state or territory)
- an authorised person representing the Australian Government, state or territory department or instrumentality
- a local government mayor.
There are no provisions for fiancés, in-laws, cousins, or friends to provide a sponsorship. Special Category (subclass 444) visa holders, eligible New Zealand citizens, New Zealand citizens and New Zealand permanent residents are also not able to sponsor an applicant under this visa subclass.
Sponsors must complete a sponsorship form (Form 1149) listing all members of the family unit they are sponsoring. The sponsorship form must be lodged by the sponsor in Australia together with a visa application (Form 1418), or attached to an online application, for each visa applicant. The correct visa application charge must be paid for each applicant.
Security bond:
The Sponsored Family stream also enables departmental officers to request a security bond, which may be forfeited if the visitor breaches visa conditions.
The amount of the security bond is determined on a case by case basis and usually ranges from AUD5000 to AUD15 000 per person. However, any amount may be requested.
If a security bond is required, a letter outlining the process for lodging the bond will be sent to the sponsor. It must be paid in full in Australia before a final decision can be made on the application.
Refunds are arranged once the visitor has left Australia having complied with all visa conditions. Information on refunds is provided at the time the bond is requested.
The security bond may not be refunded if the visitor stays longer than the period authorised on their Sponsored Family stream even if the sponsored family visitor is granted another temporary or permanent visa.
Visa conditions and penalties:
Conditions attached to the visas are:
- 8101 – no work
- 8201 – while in Australia, the holder must not engage in any studies or training for more than three months
- 8503 – no further stay
- 8531 – must not remain beyond the visa period.
Subclass 600 visa holders are no longer required to pass a chest x-ray examination, even if they intend to study in a classroom environment for up to three months.
If for any reason the sponsored family visitor does not depart Australia before their Sponsored Family stream expires, or if they breach any of their visa conditions, penalties will be imposed upon the sponsor. The sponsor will not be eligible to provide further sponsorships under this visa class for five years. If a security bond has been lodged, it may be forfeited.
If a request for waiver of the 8503 (no further stay) condition is made, which results in the sponsored family visitor remaining in Australia after their Sponsored Family stream expires, it will be taken that the 8531 condition has been breached (must not remain beyond the visa period). Penalties will then be imposed upon the sponsor, even if the 8503 condition is waived and a further visa is granted. If a security bond has been lodged, it may be forfeited.
Visitor visas:
600 – Visitor
601 – Electronic Travel Authority
651 – eVisitor
444 – Special Category – New Zealand Citizen
461 – New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship (Temporary)
Medical treatment visas:
602 – Medical Treatment
Investor/Retirement visas:
405 – Investor Retirement
410 – Retirement
Air and sea crew visas:
488 – Superyacht Crew
942 – Crew Travel Authority
988 – Maritime Crew
Transit visas:
771 – Transit
Please contact our registered migration agent to assess your suitability for any of the above streams.
