Australian Visas

The Australian immigration system is one the toughest in the world and therefore Australian visas are among the most difficult to obtain. There are a wide range of different types, each with its own set of qualification requirements. Even once you have succeeded in getting an Australian visa, it will not entitle you to unlimited travel throughout the country, far from it. All Australian visas come with a long list of limitations, restricting how long you can stay and what you can do while you are staying there. In short, there is a lot of information to take in if your application for an Australian visa is to be successful.

If you do not want to be bothered with the system of Australian visas then you are entitled, as a standard passport holding citizen, to travel to Australia and stay there for up to three months. However, many people find that with Australia being such a vast and varied country, three months is simply not long enough. In such cases people often apply for an extended stay Australian visa, however, if they had thought about it in advance, one of the many other forms of Australian visa would have been far more appropriate. Two of these are outlined below.

Australian Tourist Visas

The Australian ETA Tourist Visa allows holders to travel to Australia multiple times in one year, with each individual stay lasting no longer than three months. The visa is stored electronically rather than using the old passport based system. The first check that is made when applying for this Australian visa is that you are from one of the thirty-four Australian government approved countries. However, passing this check alone is by no means a guarantee that you will receive authorisation.

Australian Working Holiday Visas

The idea of visiting Australia multiple times in one year may appear very attractive to some but for many the cost of multiple return plane tickets is prohibitive. Under such circumstances, it may be worthwhile to consider one of the alternative Australian visas, such as the Working Holiday Visa. Applicants must be at least eighteen but no older than thirty years old and must be visiting Australia for the sole purpose of travel and tourism. Each period of employment may last no longer than three months and the maximum period of study allowed by this Australian visa is four months.