Visitor Visa
Subclass 600

Explore the 4 Streams of the Visitor Visa

Visitor Stream

• This stream lets you visit Australia as a tourist, to see family and friends or for purposes other than business or medical treatment.

Business Stream

• This visa stream lets you visit Australia for business reasons.

Sponsored Family Stream

• This visa stream lets people who are sponsored, usually by a family member, come to Australia to visit their family members.

Frequent Traveller Stream

• This visa stream is for citizens of the People’s Republic of China who travel often to Australia for business or personal reasons.

Eligibility

Special Notes

Business Stream

As a business visitor, you can:

• make general business or employment enquiries

• investigate, negotiate, enter into or review a business contract

• conduct activities as part of an official government visit

• take part in a conference, trade fair or seminar. You can’t be paid by the organisers to take part

• undertake tourist activities

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You can’t:

• work for or provide services to a business or organisation based in Australia

• sell goods or services directly to the public

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Sponsored Family Stream

A sponsor must:

• be an Australian citizen or permanent resident

• be older than 18 years of age

• have been settled in Australia for a reasonable period (usually more than two years).

• be one of the following:

  • a relative of the applicant (partner, parent, child, brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, or the ‘step’ or adopted equivalent of any of these); or

  • a relative of a person who is a member of the applicant’s family unit and who is also applying for a Visitor visa (such as the partner of your brother or sister).

• pay a security bond if requested by the Immigration and the bond:

  • is usually between AUD 5,000 and AUD 15,000 per person (but the Immigration can ask for any amount)

  • must be paid in full

  • will be refunded if the Visitor visa holder complies with their visa conditions and leaves Australia before their visa expires

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No Further Stay Condition (8503, 8534 and 8535)

If your Visitor visa comes with condition 8503, 8534 or 8535, you may not apply for another visa to remain in Australia. Such a condition is mandatory for Sponsored Family stream. However, you can make a request to waive this condition if your visa will expire in less than 4 weeks and you have not been able to depart Australia as planned.

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Duration of Stay

The length of the visa is decided on a case-by-case basis by the Immigration officers who take into consideration the purpose of your travel and your overall circumstances.

In many cases, it is granted for:

• Frequent Traveller stream – 10 years (max. 1 year on each entry)

• Any other stream – 3 months or 1 year (max. 3 months on each entry), but could be granted for 3 years in the best case scenario if you are a parent of an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

Benefits

With this visa, you may:

• visit Australia for a sustained period time to reunite with your family or friends, or perform allowed business activities.

• fly in and outside Australia without limitations while the visa is valid

• Take an exam or short course (less than 3 months) in Australia

Processing Time​

Kindly note the processing time constantly varies. Please contact us for update.​

Tourist stream:

• 75% of applications: 64 days

• 90% of applications: 11 months

Business Visitor stream:

• 75% of applications: 11 days

• 90% of applications: 17 days

Sponsored Family stream:

• 75% of applications: 72 days

• 90% of applications: 10 months