Filipinos planning to visit the land down under need to take note that you need to have a valid Australian Visa to enter it. Here are some of the things you need to know when applying for Australian Visa.
Processing
Australian Visa processing is done by non-appearance. Meaning, you do not need to visit the Australian Embassy to apply for an Australian Visa. All you have to do is (1) visit the Australian Immigration website: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/ , (2) create an account, (3) fill-up the application form, (4) attach all necessary document requirements, and (5) pay the Australian Visa fee.
Australian Visa fee varies from each type of visa. Australian Tourist Visa fee is AUD 145 and credit card surcharge fee of AUD 1.85 per person. Click here for the fees for each visa type.
Requirements
There are different types of Australian Visa and different requirements are needed for each type. What we applied for is the Australian Tourist Visa Subclass (600). This is the type of visa you will apply for as a tourist or when visiting friends and family relatives. Here are the compulsory requirements for this type of visa.
-
- Completely filled out Australian Visa application form (Form 1419).
- For children below 18, an additional form is required (Form 1229)
- Photo ID (passport size)
- Current passport showing your photo, personal details and passport issue and expiry dates.
- National ID card (any government valid ID will do)
- For children, include birth certificate
- Financial documents that can prove that you have enough money to provide for your stay in Australia such as:
- Bank certificate and bank statement
- Certificate of Employment and pay slip
- Income Tax Return (tax document)
- Completely filled out Australian Visa application form (Form 1419).
Here are additional documents you can include in your application. These are not required documents but can help aid in your visa application approval.
-
- Passport Pages
- Current and expired visa pages
- Entry and exit stamps from previous travels
- Proof of major assets in your home country
- Real estate ownership
- Car ownership
- Evidence of planned tourism activities in Australia
- Plane tickets to and from Australia
- Invitation of a sponsor from Australia (can be family, relatives, or friends)
- Invitation Letter from Sponsor
- Sponsor’s Passport or Identification
- Sponsor’s Citizenship status
- Financial Status of Sponsor (Bank statement or pay slip)
- Proof that you can and will return home:
- a letter from your employer stating you plan to return to your job
- proof that you have immediate family members residing in your home country (photos will do)
- Passport Pages
PS: All documents attached were only scanned copies of the original documents.
PPS: A tip from my cousin was to include all documents you have to prove you can financially fund for your travel and attach all major assets documents you may have.
Approval
As per Australian Immigration website, processing time for tourist visa can range from 18 days to 24 days. Visa Grant can be given up to 12 months validity. Ours were approved in one week. We applied as a family. All adults were granted multiple entry for 12 months validity. However, our son was granted single entry for 6 months validity. Australian Visa Grant are stricter for children with a note from Australian Immig website: We might not grant this visa if it is not in the best interests of an applicant under 18.
Australian Visa grants are in a pdf form and not the typical visa stickers glued to your passport. You will have to print the Grant in a bond paper and bring it with you when you go to immigration. Australia also do not stamp passports upon arrival and exit in their immigration.
Applying for Australian Visa was easy for our family. We only had to make sure to complete all necessary documents and requirements and wait for the approval of visa. I know this might not be the case for others, but you would never know if your application will be granted or not if you will not try. 😊
Greetings! Very helpful advice within this post! It is the little changes that will make the most important changes.
Many thanks for sharing!
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to
be actually something that I think I would never understand.
It seems too complex and extremely broad
for me. I’m looking forward for your next post, I’ll try to
get the hang of it!
Hi, Nerisa, Thanks for your sharing on applying visitor visa 600, we’re working on the application now and wonder if children (2 kids in our family) under 18 are required to setup immi account for their own application separately? Mind to share your experience?
Hi Danny! You can create only one Immi account for everyone in your family. You can apply as many visa in one Immi account. We applied as a family of five (4 adults and a child) and use only one Immi account (the primary applicant opened the account). Hope this helps 🙂