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This section lists the queries most frequently raised by applicants. In case you have further queries, kindly send us an e-mail at info.diacsa@vfshelpline.comwe will do our best to respond to your queries at the earliest.
| Q.1 |
How long can I stay on a visitor visa? |
| Ans |
If you have a visa label in your passport, the label will indicate the length of time you are allowed to stay in Australia, for example:
HOLDER(S) PERMITTED TO REMAIN IN AUSTRALIA UNTIL ... (DATE).
If the until date has passed you are unlawfully in Australia and should contact the Department immediately.
If you are the holder of an Electronic Travel Authority or an electronic short-stay visitor visa and do not have a visa label, you are allowed to stay in Australia for three (3) months from the date of your most recent arrival in Australia. |
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| Q.2 |
I have a visitor visa and have been offered a job. Can I work? |
| Ans |
Holders of a visitor visa DO NOT have permission to work in Australia.
You may apply for permission to work by lodging an application for a Temporary Residence visa. Temporary Residence visas allow Australian employers, who are unable to fill highly skilled positions from the local labour market, to sponsor overseas personnel for up to four years.
You cannot start work until the Department has approved your application.
Working without permission is an offence that attracts a fine of up to $10,000. It can also result in your visa being cancelled and your holiday cut short. |
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| Q.3 |
I would like to visit Australia for a short time to conduct business - a conference,negotiation or an exploratory business visit. What visa do I apply for? |
| Ans |
Visitor visas for Business purposes are intended for genuine business visitors seeking short-term entry to Australia for a stay of up to 3 months to undertake business activities such as official visits, meetings, training or building inspections.
There are a range of Business (Short Stay) visas (including the Business Electronic Travel Authority (ETA)).
The ETA is an electronically-stored authority for travel to Australia for short-term or business entry. It replaces the visa label or stamp in a passport and removes the need for application forms. ETA's are faster and simpler to access and are available to passport holders from over 30 countries and locations.
Passport holders from countries with whom Australia does not have an ETA arrangement should apply for a Business (Short Stay) visa subclass 456 or a Sponsored Business (Short Stay) visa subclass 459.
Business visas do not permit applicants to engage in work that might otherwise be carried out by an Australian citizen or permanent residents, see below for more details. |
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| Q.4 |
Can I extend my Business (Short Stay) visa in Australia? |
| Ans |
The Business (Short Stay) visa cannot be extended in Australia.
If you need to stay longer, for business/employment reasons, the visa that will best suit your needs is the Business (Long Stay) visa, valid for between three months and up to four years. |
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| Q.5 |
What are the Transit Visa Requirements? |
| Ans |
Non-Australian citizens transiting Australia to another country or passing through Australia to join a ship as crew must obtain a visa overseas before travelling to Australia. A transit visa is required even if a traveller remains on the same aircraft in the same airport. The relevant visa is Transit visa (subclass 771), which is free of charge and allows the holder to enter and remain in Australia for up to 72 hours.
Transit without visa arrangements
Some travellers do not need a transit visa if they:
depart Australia by air within 8 hours of the scheduled time of their arrival
hold confirmed onward booking and documentation necessary to enter the country of their destination
and
remain in the transit lounge at an airport.
Note: Travellers changing airlines in Australia are advised to verify with their airlines whether they will need to personally re-check their luggage as part of the transiting process. If so, a visa will be required to retrieve and re-check their luggage before departure.
The following categories of travellers are covered under this arrangement:
Citizens of the these countries:
Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kiribati, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of South Africa, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, the United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, U.S.A., Vanuatu and Vatican City.
Residents of Taiwan holding a passport issued by the authorities of Taiwan (other than passports purported to be official or diplomatic passports).
People holding British passports (irrespective of endorsement in passport regarding national status)
People who are nationals of the People's Republic of China and who hold Hong Kong (SAR China) passports.
People who hold diplomatic passports. However, this is not applicable to nationals of these countries:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Comoros, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Madagascar, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, the Republic of Yemen, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Arab Non-National Passport Holders (ANNPH) or Taiwanese holding diplomatic or official passports.
Note: The information on this page is current at time of publication and may be subject to change. |
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| Q.6 |
Can I get a visa to cover medical treatment in Australia? |
| Ans |
The Medical Treatment visa (MTV) is for visitors planning medical treatment or consultations, except procedures for surrogate motherhood.
The MTV is also for people accompanying and providing support to someone who intends being a patient.
You should apply for the visa that will cover you for your full period of stay - a 675 visa for a stay up to three months, or a 685 visa for a longer stay.
You should apply for a period of stay that covers the time for the agreed treatment plan. This should not include long periods for convalescence.
It is expected that medical visitors will leave Australia before their visas expire |
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| Q.7 |
What sort of medical treatment do you need? |
| Ans |
Medical treatment can include consultation with a health professional, an operation, organ donation, or any activity that takes a person into a health care facility.
If a woman wants to have her baby in Australian maternity facilities, then a Medical Treatment visa is appropriate, but cannot be granted unless she has undergone an x-ray examination (see below). |
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| Q.8 |
I am visiting Australia and have lost my passport. What do I do? |
| Ans |
Losing your passport does not affect the visa granted to you. Your passport contains evidence of the grant of the visa rather than the visa itself. The visa is the permission that is given to you to travel to, enter and/or remain in Australia.
Contact your home country's embassy or consulate to arrange the issue of a new passport. Once you have received your new passport you may visit a regional office of the Department to arrange for re-evidencing of the visa.
There is a fee for re-evidencing some visas. The Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) is an electronic visa that does not require a label and cannot be put in your passport. |
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| Q.9 |
What is a Resident Return Visa (RRV)? |
| Ans |
The purpose of a Resident Return Visa (RRV) is to facilitate the re-entry into Australia of non-citizen permanent residents.
The RRV ensures that only those people who have a genuine commitment to residing in Australia or who are contributing to Australia's well being, retain the right to return to Australia and remain permanently.
RRVs are usually issued with a validity of 5 years or 3 months. An RRV allows Australian permanent residents to travel from, and return to Australia as often as they wish within the validity of the visa, whilst maintaining their status as permanent residents
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| Q.10 |
How do I apply for a Resident Return Visa (RRV)? |
| Ans |
To be eligible for a Resident Return Visa (RRV), you must be:
a permanent resident holding a valid permanent visa,
a former permanent resident whose last permanent visa was not cancelled, or
a former Australian citizen who has lost or renounced their Australian citizenship.
In addition to the above, to be eligible for a five year RRV:
you must be lawfully present in Australia for a total of at least 2 years in the 5 years immediately before lodging the application for the visa, or
you must have substantial and beneficial business, cultural, employment or personal ties to Australia and compelling reasons if you have been absent from Australia for more than 5 years, or
you must be a member of the family unit of a person who holds a valid RRV or who has applied for and met the criteria for an RRV. If you do not meet these criteria, but have to leave Australia for compassionate and compelling reasons, you may be eligible for a 3 month RRV.
If you are unable to meet the RRV requirements in your own right, but you are a member of the family unit of a person who holds an RRV, you may be granted an RRV with the same validity period as the family head's RRV. |
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| Q.11 |
My Resident Return Visa (RRV) is about to expire. What happens if I leave Australia and don't renew my RRV? |
| Ans |
Permanent residents may jeopardise their permanent status if they do not hold a valid RRV, Authority To Return (ATR) or Return Endorsement (RE) (some of which have now been replaced with a visa label) when they return to Australia.
It is unlikely that an airline will transport a person to Australia who does not have an Australian passport or valid visa for travel to Australia.
If a person does arrive at an Australian air or sea port without an Australian passport or valid visa, at the very least, they will be subject to delays while their identity and claims to enter Australia are checked. At worst, they can be refused entry to Australia and returned to the last point of transit. |
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