Visitor Visa

10 Year Tourist Visa is HERE!

Visitor Visa /

A new stream under the visitor visa (subclass 600) has been released for frequent travellers. The frequent traveller visitor visa, allows the holder to make multiple entries to Australia for a period of up to 10 years from the visa grant date, and allows its holder to remain in Australia for a period of 3 months on each entry. Currently this visa is only available to citizens of the People’s Republic of China who are visiting Australia as a tourist or to engage in business visitor activity. The applicant cannot use this visa to take on work or supply good or services to any organisation or individual based in Australia. Tourism includes activities such as: Non-professional sporting activities Informal study courses Relaxation, sightseeing and travel Business visitor activities include but are not limited to: General business or employment enquiry Investigating, negotiating, entering or reviewing business contracts Activities related to official government to government visits Participation in conferences, trade fairs or seminars (cannot be a paid activity) The visa holder cannot stay for more than an accumulated 12 months in a 24 month period. The application charge for this visa is $1,000.

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India granted 150,000th Visitor Visa in 1 Year

Visitor Visa /

India is becoming one of the fastest growing markets for Australian tourism and visitors. The Australian High Commission in New Delhi has granted a record 150,000 Visitor visas during the 2015-16 program year. Australia’s High Commissioner to India, Harinder Sidhu, said, “It is a landmark achievement. This is the first time ever that we have reached the 150,000-mark in visitor visa approvals in India for a year.” At a function celebrating the 150 000th visa, the High Commissioner congratulated the visa recipient Mrinal Dutt and his wife, Kanika. Ms Sidhu presented a prize to them. They will get to climb the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and have received a boomerang to remind them of their Australian adventures. There were a record 233,000 arrivals from India during 2015, a growth of 19%, which represents the highest growth in the past seven years. India’s ranking improved from eleventh to eighth largest inbound tourists destination for Australia. By 2020, Indian tourist arrivals are expected to be around 300,000. Tourism Australia expects India to feature in the top five inbound markets for Australia by 2025. (ANI) Originally published on IndianExpress.

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Working Holiday visa extensions

Visitor Visa /

Backpackers in Australia have a new way of earning visa points to extend their stay in the country: become a cane toad killer. The Western Australian Government is asking backpackers to volunteer to battle the spread of cane toads, an invasive species that has become widespread across Australia’s tropical north and poses a threat to native animals. Kimberley Toad Busters are recruiting backpackers from all over the world to catch large toads, net tadpoles and spray the species’ young. Australian visa rules allow visitors on a 12-month ‘working holiday’ to extend their stay for a second year if they carry out approved work in certain areas of the country. Usually, this work includes labouring jobs such as fruit and vegetable picking on farms and orchards. Now, it includes toad hunting in the northwest of Australia. ‘We offer toad busting volunteer hours to anyone in Australia doing volunteer hours for their second-year visa’ Kimberley Toad Busters president Lee Scott-Virtue told Daily Mail Australia. Volunteers work for 7 hours a day and 60-80 hours in total to complete the program, which in turn gives them credits to stay in Australia. Article was originally published by the Daily Mail.

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New Permissions for Multiple-entry Visitor Visas

Visitor Visa /

AUSTRALIA will begin testing three-year multiple-entry visas for visitors from India, Thailand, Vietnam and Chile by July. The trial, announced as part of the Australian government’s 2016-2017 federal budget unveiled last month, will allow entry into Australia multiple times, with each stay valid for up to three months. Australia issued about 233,000 visas to Indian visitors in 2015.

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Work and Holiday visas for Vietnam

Visitor Visa /

It appears Vietnam has become the latest country to seal an agreement with Australia for 200 Vietnamese citizens to travel to Australia on a Work and Holiday Visa. The maximum duration of these visas is 12 month with the possibility of an extension if in the first year they spend three months working in rural areas. The visa applicants must meet certain criteria such as the age (18 to 30), education (university degree), foreign language skills and financial abilities. The Vietnamese citizens will not be allowed to bring their children to Australia and must demonstrate their financial capacity to support themselves. Share this or Contact us if you know someone who is interested.

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Paramore

3-year tourist visas for Chinese citizens

Visitor Visa /

Australia will offer Chinese tourists a 3-year multiple entry visa in an attempt to catch up to countries such as Indonesia and the United States of America. The United States and Canada currently offer Chinese tourists a 10-year multiple entry visa, whilst those travelling to South Korea and Indonesia do not need a visa at all. Previously Chinese tourists requesting a 3-year multiple entry visa needed to receive a guarantee from their travel agents. Under the new laws, this will no longer be required. According to government sources, the visa is available and part of an extended trial period. Almost 790,000 Chinese tourists visited Australia between January to September 2014 and almost half of these tourists were repeat visitors. The Chinese tourists spent close to $5.4 billion, which roughly equals $6,900 spent per tourist. The number of Chinese tourists travelling overseas is expected to double to 200 million by 2020. It would appear Chinese tourism is definitely playing a big part in stimulating the Australian economy and, to a certain extent, directly employs 1 million Australians. It remains to be seen what other changes will occur to make it easier for Chinese tourists to visit Australia and how airports will cope with the increased demand.

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