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Other visa (600)

Other visa (600)

Other visa (600)

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VISITOR VISA
(SUBCLASS 600)

COVID-19 update for Visitor visas to Australia:

 If you are an immediate family member of either an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you may be eligible to apply for a Visitor Visa (Subclass 600).

 DHA are trialling an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) mobile app (Australian ETA) for some ETA-eligible passport holders while the travel restrictions are in place. If you hold a passport from Brunei, Canada, Hong Kong (SAR of China), Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea or the United States of America. 

From 1 July 2021 the application fee for an onshore SC600 visa is AU$370.

Features of the Visitor visa (subclass 600)

This visa lets you visit Australia: 

to visit or for business visitor purposes 

for up to three, six or 12 months. 

The base application charge for this visa ranges from AUD135 to AUD340. 

If you hold a certain passport, you might be able to apply for a free or cheaper visa. 

The eVisitor (subclass 651) visa is free. You must be a passport holder of a certain country. 

The Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) visa has an AUD20 service charge. You must be a passport holder of a certain country.

Requirements

You might be able to get this visa if you are travelling to Australia: 

as a visitor

 for business visitor activities 

to visit family 

on a tour with a registered travel agent from the People’s Republic of China.

If you are in Australia you can apply for the Tourist stream of the Visitor visa online provided you currently have a valid visa that does not have condition 8503 imposed. 

If you are outside Australia only certain passport holders can apply for this visa online. If you cannot apply online, you can lodge a paper application.

What this visa lets you do

This visa lets you come to Australia for a holiday or to visit family and friends. 

We will tell you how many times you can enter Australia on this visa: 

You might be allowed to enter only once. If so, you will need to apply for a new visa if you want to return to Australia again after you leave. 

You might be able to travel to and from Australia as many times as you want while your visa is valid, but the total time you spend in Australia cannot be more than the period of stay that you have been granted.

Visa conditions

No further stay condition (includes 8503, 8534 and 8535) 

If you hold a visa with condition 8503, 8534 or 8535 and have not been able to depart Australia as planned, you can request to waive this condition if your visa will expire in less than 4 weeks. 

Condition 8531 (must not remain in Australia beyond the period of stay permitted by the visa) 

If you hold a visa with condition 8531 and have not been able to depart Australia as planned, you should apply for a further visa before your current visa expires. If you apply for a new visa you may be eligible to be granted a bridging visa that will keep you lawful in Australia until a decision is made on your visa application. 

Condition 8558 (must not stay in Australia for more than 12 months in any 18 month period) 

If you hold a visa with condition 8558 and have not been able to depart Australia as planned, you should apply for a further visa before your current visa expires. If you apply for a new visa you may be eligible to be granted a bridging visa that will keep you lawful in Australia until a decision is made on your visa application.

Visa processing arrangements

Some services relating to the visa application process may be impacted by COVID-19 and a range of services we rely on (such as medical checks and biometric collection) are increasingly unavailable. Applicants will be given additional time to complete checks and provide the requested information. 

I’m overseas and want to Travel to Australia during COVID-19 

If you are not a permanent visa holder, you must comply with current travel restrictions.

Travel restriction exemption

If you think you have a compassionate or compelling reason to travel to Australia, you can apply for an exemption to the travel restriction. Do not travel to Australia until DHA confirm that you can. If you are not granted an exemption, you cannot travel to Australia. All travellers applying for an exemption must apply online. Apply online for a travel exemption.

Extending visitor visas

Visitor visas and ETAs cannot be extended. If your visa expires before you are able to travel to Australia, you will need to apply for a new visa that meets your needs. Explore your visa options. Visa holders who have changed their travel plans due to travel restrictions are not considered eligible for a visa application charge (VAC) refund

Visa processing arrangements

You should reconsider your need to apply for a Visitor visa or ETA at this time and check this page regularly for updates on travel restrictions and visa processing.

The Department is prioritising processing visa applications for those travellers in the exempt categories to support urgent travel. We encourage applicants to apply online wherever possible, as these applications will be processed faster than those lodged on paper.

You will not be able to apply for an ETA online while the travel restrictions are in place.

Some services relating to the visa application process may be impacted by COVID-19 and a range of services we rely on are increasingly unavailable. This includes overseas panel doctors (who undertake medical checks), English language testing facilities, biometric collection and paper application lodgement centres. While these services are unavailable, many applicants cannot meet visa requirements. Applicants will be given additional time to complete checks and provide the requested information.

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