Visitor Visa

• Visitor visa – 600
• Electronic Travel Authority visitor visa - 601
• eVisitor visa- 651
• Special Category New Zealand Citizen visitor visa- 444
• New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship visitor visa– 461

601- Electronic Travel Authority Visa

This visa is used to enter Australia for any of the following purposes:

• For business visiting purpose
• Can travel as many times as one wants, up to one year
• Can stay up to three months on each visit to Australia

Individuals who are eligible to apply for this visa will be requested to pay an amount of AUD20 towards service fee.

An Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) unlike the usual visas does not come with a label on your visa instead it is electronically stored authority that could be used to travel to Australia.To apply, the individual should be outside Australia when it is applied and even when the Electronic Travel Authority is decided.

Requirements

An Electronic Travel authority is given to those:

• Staying outside Australia.
• Passport Holder of a certain country.

Only individuals with a certain passport can apply for this visa online. A travel agent might be required to apply for the visa.

Benefits

Either business or tour, with an ETA you could stay in Australia for a period of three months

Business visiting activities include:

• Making Employment or general business enquiries.
• Negotiating, investigating, signing or analyzing a business contract.
• Official government to government visit activities.
• Participating in the trade fairs, seminars and conferences as long as the individual is not being paid by the event organizers for his/her participation.

A visitor visa (subclass 600) grants for a stay spanning longer time periods and is recommended for those of you wishing to stay in Australia for a period of more than three months.

Applicants are requested to have an eligible passport. Any non-Citizen passport or other travel documents will not be considered, henceforth not eligible to apply for the Electronic Travel Authority.

Health Insurance

The individuals are held responsible for their health condition during their stay in Australia and the national health scheme will not cover the visitors. It’s highly recommended that you carry your own Health insurance each and every time you travel to Australia.

Character Requirements

A visitor visa is to be applied for those who have /had any sort of criminal convictions in any country. For such individuals entry into Australia will be restricted when arrived on Electronic Travel Authority. Therefore applying for a visitor visa (subclass 600) is recommended.

Any outstanding debts towards the Australian Government should be paid before the visa is granted. Unpaid debt leads to the rejection of application. Henceforth, the applicant is expected to clear all the debts. In most cases, the applicant would know the status of the visa immediately while in some cases it might take some more time for extra processing.

Do not make any kind of arrangements or commitments before knowing the status of your Electronic Travel Authority visa. So, wait until you have been granted an ETA visa.

410-Retirement visa is a visa designed for the retirees and their partners with desire to spend some of their retirement years in Australia.

New or first-time applicants are not eligible for this visa instead they could apply for investor retirement visa.

For those who had been formerly granted with Retirement visa or any other substantive visa, including Electronic Travel Authorities and Visitor visas, are not eligible to reapply for this particular visa.

From July 1st 2009, Retirement visa holders have been considered eligible to apply for a visa which is valid for 10 years from the issue date and will not have any restrictions on the hours they are allowed to work.

You can apply for this visa either in or outside Australia: If you request for this visa while in Australia, you must be in Australia when the visa is granted

461 - New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship (Temporary) Visa

It belongs to the family of temporary visa, where Non-New Zealand family member can live and work in Australia. Unlike other 461 visa cannot be applied ON ARRIVAL.

It can only be applied offshore or after arrival. In a simpler language, this visa is for partners of New Zealand citizens who wish to enter Australia to reside on temporary basis with their partners.

Features

Subclass 461 temporary visa has an unique feature which allows a non-New Zealand family member of a New Zealand citizen to visit, work, study and live in Australia. Visa applicant can live and work in Australia for the 5 years. After the duration of 5 years, he has to reapply for the visa which is again a similar and easy task.

Processing

The processing procedure of New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship Visa is very simple in nature. Applicant who is not a citizen of New Zealand and is eligible family member of a New Zealand citizen can avail this visa. His family member should be living in Australia on a special category visa 444 or will be traveling with him and getting his visa on arrival. Except this, there are health and character requirements to be met.

The health examinations are conducted depending on the personal circumstances, citizen of which country, time spent in other country during the last 5 years. The examination report is generally valid for one year which is being provided by the health authorities on certain tests. Applicant is responsible for his own health cost or medical costs.

Applicant has to provide the character certificate from the police authorities stating of a clean and good character.

Years

Visa is granted for the period of 5 years at once. Once this duration expires, the applicant has to reapply for the visa following the same procedures and protocols. He might have to submit additional documents as per the changes made during that period.

Requirements

Applicant should not be a citizen of New Zealand but his family member must have to be a citizen of New Zealand. That family member should be living in Australia or will be traveling with the applicant and getting his visa on arrival. Applicant should be related to New Zealand citizen as their partner, dependant or dependant child of their dependent.

Applicant is required to submit other documents like health examination results, character certificates etc., even though the visa is granted on the basis of a family member and special category visa 461 of that family member, the applicant is still bound to comply with all the visa conditions and Australian laws.

651- eVisitor Visa

It is a free visa used to enter Australia for any of the following purpose:

• To visit regarding any business purpose.
• It lets you to stay in Australia for upto three months within a 12 month period.

A passport from a country eligible from the list of eligible country is a must to apply for this visa.

You must be staying outside Australia to apply for this visa. There is no need to visit to an immigration office and NO stamp or label for your passport will be provided. A confirmation will be given to you for your records. eVisitor is an electronically stored authority visa that is used to enter into Australia. This visa can be accessed by travel agents, airlines staff and Australian border agencies.

Benefits

With eVisitor you can opt for either business purpose or for tourism purpose. You can reside in Australia for upto three months during the 12 month period.

Business purpose may include:

• Making Employment or general business enquiries.
• Negotiating, investigating, signing or analyzing a business contract.
• Official government to government visit activities.
• Participating in the trade fairs, seminars and conferences as long as the individual is not being paid by the event organizers for his/her participation.

An individual with an eVisitor visa is not allowed to work in Australia. Restricted volunteer work should be acceptable.

Requirements

You might be able to get an eVisitor visa if you are:

• Staying outside Australia
• Passport holder of a certain country
• You might be eligible for an eVisitor visa if you:
• Wish to travel Australia on a temporary basis, either for business or tourism purpose.
• Are staying outside Australia.
• Hold an eVisitor-eligible passport.
• Free from tuberculosis at the time of entry into Australia.

Character Requirements

A visitor visa is to be applied for those who had any sort of criminal convictions, for which sentence or sentences (whether served or not) with total 12 months or more in any country. For such individuals, entry into Australia will be restricted when arrived on eVisitor visa. Therefore applying for a visitor visa (subclass 600) is recommended.

No outstanding debts towards the Australian Government should be found or should have arranged the necessary amount to repay any unpaid debts towards the Australian government before the visa is granted.

In most cases, the applicant would know the status of the visa immediately while in some cases it might take some more time for extra processing. If your eVisitor visa is approved, then you would be confirmed for your records. An email will be sent to you, so keep a copy when you travel to Australia.

Do not make any kind of arrangements or commitments before knowing the status of eVisitor visa. So, wait until you have been granted an eVisitor visa. They have a service standard of 2-10 working days for finalization.

Biometrics

The applicant might be requested to provide biometrics (a scientific form used to identify people) as part of the application

771 - Transit Visa

The Transit Visa subclass 771 is designed for all those non-Australian citizens transiting Australia to some other country or just passing through for the purpose of joining a ship as a crew member.

Generally, a transit visa is needed for travellers to remain on their aircraft, the same one, and also in the same airport.

Features

The Transit Visa subclass 771 allows individuals and their dependent children and spouse transit through the country, Australia, though not longer than a period of 72 hours. However, there are some clauses to it – the applicant must enter Australia on his way to some other country; the applicant is travelling to be a part of the crew of a ship.

Dependent children can be included in the visa applicant if they are also travelling with the applicant and on their passport.

The Transit Visa subclass 771 allows the visa holder to transit through Australia. It lets the visa holder enter as well as stay in the country for up to 72 hours.

Processing

Before applying for the Transit Visa subclass 771, it is very important to get a passport. The applicant must have a passport even before applying for the visa. The visa will be linked to the related passport number of the applicant used in the applicant and the applicant must use the same passport for travelling to Australia.

The applicant should prepare all his documents that prove his claims for making an application.

After applying for the visa the applicant has to wait for the approval. There is a specific period of time for visa processing for each class of visa. An application may take longer if health or character checks of needed.

Once the visa is granted, it will be intimated through mail. Information, like visa grant number, when to use this visa, and other conditions attached to the same, will be mentioned.

Years

The Transit Visa subclass 771 remains valid for a period of 72 hours after entering Australia. Another Transit Visa subclass 771 will not be granted to the same applicant while he is in Australia.

Requirements

An individual is eligible to get this visa provided that he meets the following requirements:

• he should enter Australia on the way to some other country
• he should pass through Australia only for the purpose of journey to be a part of crew of a ship
• meet all health requirements and character requirements

As the visa is granted to enter Australia on the way to some other country, applicants and their family members should have their valid passports to make sure the visa is granted. The visa applicant should produce tickets and necessary documents to establish arrangements for travelling to some other destination besides Australia.

To join a ship and become a member of the crew, the individual and his family members should have their valid passports to get this visa. Tickets and other documents should be produced to travel to another destination outside the country. A valid Maritime crew visa should be possessed under subclass 988.

If any subclass available?

Yes, Transit Visa subclass 771.

600 - Visitor Visa

To visit Australia for tourism or business, a visitor visa (subclass 600) is required. Tourism includes holidays, seeing family or friends and recreation.

Business visitor activities may include attending a negotiation, conference or an exploratory business visit.

You are not allowed to work for or provide any kind of services to an organization or business in Australia or permitted to sell goods or services to the public. If you want to visit Australia intending to work for a short period of time then you should apply for the new Temporary work visa (subclass 400) which permits the applicant to work on their short stay in Australia.

You can do informal study or training for less than 3 months using the visitor visa.

Longer Visitor visas for parents of Permanent Residents and Australian Citizens.

Parents of permanent residents and Australian citizens are permitted to apply for Visitor visas to visit Australia or to stay for longer.

The department will grant this visa on a case-by-case basis:

Parents will be provided with visa for upto five years validity using which they can stay in Australia for a period upto 12 months on each entry into the country. This is given to those parents who are residing outside Australia and are enlisted in the parent visa queue.

Parents who are residing outside Australia without their names being enlisted in the parent visa queue will be provided with a visa of up to three years validity using which they can stay for 12 months on each entry into the country.

NOTE: This visa comes with a condition that restricts the time you are spending in Australia to 12 months in every 18 months

Requirements

You might be able to�get�this visa if you are traveling to Australia for any of the mentioned purposes:

• as a tourist
• to visit family
• for business visitor activities

The�base application charge for this particular visa ranges from�AUD130 to AUD335. Individuals holding certain passport might be able to apply for a cheaper �or a free visa.

Cost

The cost of visas varies from time to time. The visa cost will depend on the date your application is received by visa authorities. Any variation in price from the date you lodge your application and the date your application is received will be affected and the new application charge should be paid.

In some cases there is no application charge at all. But in some cases, application charge in Australian dollars should be paid for applying this visa.

Visa evidence charge (VEC)

The Australian Government does not expect you to have a visa label on your passport to enter to, travel or to remain in Australia. If you have a current Australian visa then you could request and pay for a visa label.

You will be charged if a visa label is requested by you, regardless of when your visa application was applied.

The cost of a visa label is $70.