Australia is a fantastic place to visit because of its wonderful weather, beautiful landscape, and friendly communities. If you want to visit the land down under for a cruise, a vacation, or just to see friends and family, you’ll need to apply for a visitor visa.

A visitor visa is a broad term that refers to several different temporary visas that allow you to stay in Australia for a limited time. Depending on your specific needs and reasons for visiting, the Australian government will grant visitor visas for the following purposes:

• travel and leisure activities
• pay a visit to Australian friends or family members
• receive medical consultations or treatments
• conduct general business activities

Am I eligible for a visitor visa?

To apply for a visitor visa, you must:

• be a genuine visitor
• fund your entire stay in Australia
• be able to afford your departure from Australia
• meet the Australian government’s health and character requirements.

Since visitor visas are only granted to genuine visitors, this type of visa will not allow you to work in Australia.

WHICH VISITOR VISA SHOULD I APPLY FOR?

Overseas visitors can apply for one of several visitor visa subclasses available. However, to speed up your application, it is best to clarify the objective for your visit and apply for the appropriate visa. The Australian government will ultimately decide which type of visitor visa you are eligible for based on your reasons for visiting Australia.

TYPES OF VISITOR VISAS IN AUSTRALIA

You can apply for a visitor visa while you are already in Australia. However, most visitor visas only have an online application process which you must complete and receive approval for before entering the country. We’ve listed four applicable visitor visas below.

VISITOR VISA (SUBCLASS 600)

This is the most extensive visitor visa subclass, with numerous streams that correspond to your specific reason for visiting Australia. These different categories include:

• Tourist stream
• Sponsored family stream
• Business visitor stream
• Approved Destination Status stream
• Frequent traveller stream

Visitors with a People’s Republic of China passport are eligible for the Approved Destination Status and Frequent Traveller streams. These streams are primarily intended for PRC citizens who are visiting Australia as part of an organised tour group or who frequently visit Australia for various business purposes.

The subclass 600 visa allows visitors to stay in Australia for 3, 6, or 12 months in exceptional circumstances. If you want to remain in Australia for up to 12 months, you must provide a valid reason for your stay. The Australian government will then assess your situation before they grant you the requested period of time.

For this visa, you

• must be in Australia when you begin your application process and when your visa is granted
• must pay the application fee, which excludes the cost of any necessary health checks or police clearances
• must leave the country before your visa expires
• cannot stay in Australia for more than 12 consecutive months within a 24-month period
• This visitor visa also allows you to study or attend training courses for up to 3 months.
• If you’d like to stay in Australia for longer than 12 months, you might like to consider applying for a permanent resident visa instead of an Australian tourist visa.