How to get an Australian visa

Unless you are an Australian citizen, you will need a valid Australian visa to enter the country. Citizens of New Zealand can visit, conduct business, study, work, and live in Australia without applying for a prior visa. All other passport holders, regardless of age, need the right visa to come to Australia.

There are different visas depending on your travel purpose and length of visit. Each visa has conditions about what you can do in Australia. For short-term visits, you can get an eVisitor, an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA), or a visitor visa, depending on your nationality. On the other hand, for long-term purposes such as studying or working, everyone besides New Zealanders will have to get the relevant visa.

How do I get a visa to go to Australia?

First, of you, you need to decide which visa you need to apply for as per your requirement. If you wish to work in Australia then apply for your skilled visa. If you wish to study in Australia, apply for the student visa subclass 500. If you are already studying in Australia and your visa is about to get expired and you want to continue your study in Australia then apply for temporary graduate visa subclass 485.

There are over 120 types of Australian visas and each is designed for different needs and has its own criteria. If you are unsure which visa is right for you please click here:

You can get an Australian visa either online or in-person at an nearest Australian Embassy or Consulate, depending on your nationality. To apply online, you need to create an individual online account at the official website of the Australian Department of Home Affairs (ImmiAccount). The online service helps you manage your application, attach your documents and follow the reviewing process for your visa.

How can I apply for an Australian visa?

You can apply for an Australian visa in two different ways: online application or paper application. Nowadays, the online application is more feasible for storing all of your data and the reviewing process is easier. You can apply online for most visas and pathways to citizenship by creating an ImmiAccount.

Anyone can create an ImmiAccount. It doesn't matter if you are in Australia or another country, a client an agent or a sponsor. You can create an individual ImmiAccount if you are: an individual applicant, a family member acting on behalf of an applicant, or a friend helping with the application process. You can create an organisation ImmiAccount if you are: from an organisation, a registered migration agent, or from a sponsoring company.

However, some countries (or visa types) may not be eligible for the online application and in those cases, a paper application through an embassy has to be submitted. Before you begin your application process, find the nearest Australian embassy in your country or consular point. Sometimes the nearest office may not be in your country at all, and for this reason, it’s important to identify the embassy/consulate first. In addition to this, some paper applications can be sent by post or courier fax, you still have to consult with a local embassy to see if these options are available for you.

What is the fastest way to get an Australian visa?

The quickest and easiest visas for Australia to apply for are the Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) and the eVisitor (subclass 651) visa. Applicants can submit their request from anywhere outside Australia as long as they have a device that can connect to the internet. If you can meet requirements for Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program, which is open only to passport holders of certain countries, you can apply for a Working Holiday visa subclass 417 or subclass 462.

How many types of tourist visa are there for Australia?

Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601)

This visa allows you to visit Australia as many times as you want, for up to a year, and stay for three months each visit. This visa is available to passport holders from a number of countries and regions, who live outside Australia. You can only apply for the Electronic Travel Authority visa (subclass 601) through the Australian ETA app.

eVisitor visa (subclass 651)

eVisitor visa is similar to eVisitor visa. Both allow you to visit Australia for up to three months. The only differences between an eVisitor and an ETA Australia are the nationalities accepted, the different application procedures and the differences in application fees. This visa is available to passport holders from a number of European countries and it cannot be extended. You can apply for the eVisitor on the Australian Department of Home Affairs website.

Visitor visa (subclass 600)

The Visitor visa is open to all nationalities and allows you to visit Australia, either for tourism or business purposes. Applicants will have to pay a fee to submit their application. You can apply for Visitor visa (subclass 600) via an individual online account at the official website of the Australian Department of Home Affairs.

You can read more about all visitor/ tourist visas here:

Can I convert my tourist visa to work visa in Australia?

Once you hold a visitor visa, you cannot extend it or convert it into another type of visa, such as a working visa. If you are interested to work in Australia, you need to apply for another visa. For many, options are Skilled migration or Employer sponsored visas.

To meet requirements for skilled migration, you need to reach a point to be issued an invitation to apply for a visa. Applicants for skilled migration may take months or even years to meet requirements, pass skills assessment and/or achieve required score on English tests. Therefore, if you meet requirements for skilled migration and need to work more on your eligibility, to rather work on it while you are still in your country home.

The Employer sponsored working visa is an option for Australian employers who cannot find a suitable Australian worker within Australia. There are employers who advertise that they are happy to sponsor an overseas worker and you can contact them directly. Please note that both the employer and the worker must meet the requirements for visa.