Visitor Visa for Australia

Visitor visa is for people to visit Australia for a holiday, sightseeing, social reasons, to visit relatives, friends or other short-term purposes which does not include any work.

There are a number of visas available for tourists including:

• Visitor visa (subclass 600) –a temporary visa letting you stay in Australia from up to 3 to 12 months. You can apply for outside or in Australia.
• Evisitors (subclass 651) – an electronically stored visa for visits to Australia for tourism or business reasons for up to 3 months. This visa is available to passport holders from the European Union and other European countries, which are not in Australia.
• Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) – an electronically stored visa for visits to Australia for business or tourism for up to 3 months. This visa is available to passport holders from a number of countries and regions, who are outside of Australia.

For a visitor visa the basic application charge ranges from AUD130 to AUD335. If you hold a certain passport you may be able to apply for free or cheaper. The evisitor visa is free but you must hold a certain country passport. The Electronic travel authority visa has a AUD20 charge.

You are eligible for a visitor visa in Australia if:

• You are travelling as a visitor
• Traveling for business visitor activities
• Visit family
• On a tour with a registered travel agent from the people’s republic of china

 The Electronic travel authority visa (ETA) and evisitor visa are generally given within 24 hours. Onshore extension visitor visas are normally granted within 1-2 weeks. Paper based visitor application can take up to 1-6 weeks to process. Weather you can apply for a visitor visa online or if you need a paper based visa application will depend on the country of your passport. If you want to come for medical treatment or transit though Australia you should not apply for a visitor visa.

You need to provide documents for your application for a visa. Documents to show you are a visitor:

• Evidence of funds, such as bank statements or payslips
• If you are coming to visit relatives or friends, a letter from your relative or friend who lives in Australia. If your relative or friend is funding you on your stay then evidence of their funds.
• A letter from your employer saying you intend to go back to your job
• Evidence of enrolment to any school, college or university in your country
• Evidence of your visa or residence status in your home country, and if you can return back
• Evidence of property or assets in your home country