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FAQ's
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.com We
will do our best to respond to your queries at the earliest.
| 1. How long can I stay on a visitor visa?
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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. |
| 2. I have a visitor visa and have been offered a
job. Can I work?
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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. |
| 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?
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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 sublcass 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. |
| 4. Can I extend my Business (Short Stay) visa in
Australia?
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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. |
| 5. What are the Transit Visa Requirements ?
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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
(Not applicable to stateless persons and refugees)
Some non-citizens, who belong to certain categories of passengers, who:
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intend to transit Australia by air within 8 hours of their arrival; and
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hold confirmed booking and documentation necessary to enter the country of
their destination;
do not need a transit visa, as they are deemed to hold a special purpose visa
provided they do not leave the airport transit lounge.
The following categories of passengers are covered under this arrangement:
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Citizens of the following countries:
Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Federated States
of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Indonesia,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kiribati, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta,
Mexico, Monaco, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea,
Philippines, Portugal, Republic of South Africa, Republic of Marshall Islands,
San Marino, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, United Kingdom (including its colonies),
U.S.A., Vanuatu, Vatican City, Western Samoa;
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residents of Hong Kong holding Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)
passports or British National Overseas (BNO) passports;
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residents of Taiwan holding a passport issued by the authorities of Taiwan
(other than passports purported to be official or diplomatic passports);
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diplomatic passport holders, excluding holders of Arab non-national passports
and diplomatic passports from the following countries: Afghanistan, Algeria,
Angola, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Comoros, 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, Syria, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.
Note: This list is current at time of publication, but may be changed in the
future.
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| 6. Can I get a visa to cover medical treatment
in Australia?
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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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| 7. What sort of medical treatment do
you need?
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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). |
| 8. I am visiting Australia and have lost my
passport. What do I do?
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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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| 9. What is a Resident Return Visa (RRV)?
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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. |
| 10. How do I apply for a Resident Return Visa
(RRV)?
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To be eligible for a Resident Return Visa (RRV), you must be:
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a permanent resident holding a valid permanent visa,
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a former permanent resident whose last permanent visa was not cancelled, or
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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:
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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
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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
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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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| 11. My Resident Return Visa (RRV) is about to
expire. What happens if I leave Australia and don't renew my RRV?
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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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