Australia Visa Information

Visa information

What type of Australian visa are you looking for?

Holiday or Vacation The ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) This visa allows you to visit Australia as a tourist. It is electronically applied to your passport. There is also no stamp or label placed in your passport. If you have a criminal record, you will be ineligible for an ETA. You can instead apply for a Subclass 600 Visitor Visa. For those travelling to Australia for longer than 3 months, you may also consider applying for a Subclass 600 Visitor Visa. Eligibility Hold an eligible passport Be outside Australia Length of stay Visa is valid for up to 12 months 3 months stay after each entry Number of entries Multiple entry What you can do Visit as a tourist Visit your family and friends Study for up to three months Apply here. Visitor Visa (Subclass 600) This visa lets you visit Australia to visit for up to three, six or 12 months. Eligibility You may be eligible for this visa if you are travelling to Australia: As a visitor To visit family Are planning to stay between 3 and 12 months Length of stay Up to three, six or 12 months What you can do Have a holiday Visit family and friends Study for up to three months Apply here.

Business Activities The ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) As well as being able to travel to Australia for tourism purposes, the ETA also allows the traveller to carry out business visitor activities such as making general business or employment enquiries, negotiations or participating in a conference. Eligibility Hold an eligible passport Be outside Australia Length of stay Visa is valid for up to 12 months 3 months stay after each entry Number of entries Multiple entry What you can do Undertake business visitor activities Apply here. Visitor Visa (Subclass 600) This visa also lets you visit Australia for business visitor purposes as well as tourism visiting. Eligibility You may be eligible for this visa if you are travelling to Australia: For business visitor activities Length of stay Up to three, six or 12 months What you can do Undertake business visitor activities Apply here. Business Innovation and Investment Visa Allows business people to establish a new, or develop an existing, business in Australia, or to invest in Australia. Eligibility Be nominated by a state or territory government or Austrade Be invited to apply for the visa Have experience in owning and operating a business (Business Innovation stream) or… Have at least AUD 1.5 million to invest (Investor stream) or… Have at least AUD 5 million to invest (Significant Investor stream) or… Have at least AUD 15 million to invest (Premium Investor stream) Meet additional requirements of the relevant stream. Length of stay Four years and three months What you can do You can apply for a Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) visa (subclass 888) (if eligible). Apply here.

Study Student Visa Allows a student to study in a registered, full-time course. Eligibility Be at least six years of age Have been accepted to study at an educational institution in Australia Have health insurance. Length of stay Up to 5 years What you can do Study in your course Work part-time. Apply here. Student Guardian Visa This visa permits you to provide care and support for a student visa holder who is under 18. Eligibility Be the student’s parent, legal guardian or relative Have enough money to support yourself and the student during your stay Be able to provide accommodation and other support Be at least 21 years of age. Length of stay Up to 5 years What you can do Stay in Australia with the student until they turn 18 Study (usually for up to 3 months). Apply here.

Work Working Holiday Visa Allows young people to have a holiday and work in Australia for up to a year. Applicants who complete 3 months specified work in regional Australia might be eligible to apply for a second year. Eligibility Hold an eligible passport Be 18 to 30 years of age Not have come to Australia previously on a Work and Holiday visa (462). Length of stay Up to 12 months Number of entries Multiple entry What you can do Work for the duration of your visa but only up to 6 months with each employer Visit as a tourist Visit family and friends Study for up to four months. Apply here. Temporary Work Visa The Temporary Work Visa permits travellers to do short-term, highly specialised, non-ongoing work. In limited circumstances, some travellers will be permitted to participate in an activity or work relating to Australia’s interests such as assisting in a natural disaster. Eligibility Be invited, or supported, by the organisation you will be working for have specialist skills, knowledge or experience that is needed but cannot be found in Australia Length of stay Up to 3 months (6 months in limited circumstances) What you can do You can work or participate in the activities for which you were granted the visa Apply here. Temporary Graduate Visa This visa is for international students who have recently graduated from an Australian educational institution. It lets you live,study and work in Australia temporarily after you have finished your studies. Students are only able to access the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) once as a primary applicant. Eligibility Be under 50 years of age Hold an eligible visa Have a recent qualification in a CRICOS-registered course Meet additional requirements of the relevant stream The qualification must either: Relate to an occupation on the skilled occupation list (Graduate Work stream) Be a higher education degree (Post-Study Work stream) Length of stay Graduate Work stream – 18 months Post-Study Work stream – two to four years What you can do This visa allows you and your family to stay in Australia temporarily after you have finished your studies. While in Australia, you can: Travel Work Study Apply here. Skilled Recognised Graduate Visa Allows engineering graduates to gain work experience in Australia. Eligibility Be under 31 years of age Have completed an engineering degree at a recognised institution in the past two years Not have been the primary visa holder of a subclass 476 or 485 visa. Length of stay 18 Months What you can do This visa allows you and your family stay in Australia for up to 18 months. While in Australia, you can: Travel Work Study Apply here. Temporary Activity Visa Allows a person to work in the entertainment industry, as a full-time religious worker, as a domestic worker for certain executives or as a superyacht crew member OR participate in cultural or social activities at the invitation of an Australian organisation, high-level sports competition, a research project, a reciprocal staff exchange for a skilled position, an Australian government endorsed event or other specific event or a special program approved by the Department. Eligibility Have the skills to undertake the activity to be carried out in Australia Be supported or sponsored Meet additional requirements of the relevant stream Length of stay If invited by an organisation to participate in a specific event – 3 months If participating in Australian government activities – 4 years All other activities – 2 years What you can do Stay in Australia for the period that aligns with the activities that you have been approved to undertake on this visa. Do the work or activity specified in your application Bring eligible family members with you to Australia Enter and leave Australia as many times as you want while your visa is valid. Apply here.

Get to know your Visas

We all know that, when travelling, different countries have different visa requirements. For example, travel to Turkey may require you to obtain an e-visa whereas travel to America could see you needing an ESTA and some countries only needing a visa on arrival or not needing a visa at all… but what is the difference? and what types of visa are out there?

Common types of visa

Alongside the standard full visas for tourist and business purposes, here are some of the other common types of visa that travellers may need:

ESTA

An ESTA is an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation. This is required for travel in to the USA if you are a citizen of a country that is a part of The Visa Waiver Program.

Applying for an ESTA only determines your eligibility for entry into America.

The US use the ESTA in place of a visa (for citizens of certain countries) and is electronically applied to your e-passport.

*Please note: There are many different types of visa that can be applied for when travelling to America, from an A visa all the way to a WT visa, depending on your purpose of travel and eligibility. 

e-Visa

An e-Visa grants authorisation to enter the particular country you have applied for. It has the same effect as a normal visa but is applied electronically. This kind of visa is applied and paid for online. e-Visas are available for varied validities dependant on the issuing country (from 30 to 90 days). If you do not qualify for an e-Visa you will need to apply for a full visa.

Countries that use the e-visa scheme are as listed below:

• India
• Turkey
• Bahrain
• Kenya

eTA

An eTA is an “Electronic Tourist Authorisation” which, as you guessed, authorises tourists to enter certain countries when travelling. The can also be referred to as an “Electronic Tourist Authority”. They are applied to your passport electronically and so leaves out the need for any physical documentation to be submitted for the application.

In some instances you may need to obtain an eTA even if you are transiting through that specific country. Also, the duration of the eTA can vary – for example, a Canadian eTA can last for 5 years.

Countries that use the eTA scheme are as listed below:

• Canada
• Australia
• Sri Lanka

Transit Visa

This type of visa is valid for travellers who do not wish to stay in the country, but only to pass through it. The visa is temporary and only valid for a short period of time. Some countries require that you have a stop over of  24 hours minimum to grant you a transit visa. But, others provide a transit visa for a stop over as small as 4 hours.

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If you have any questions or queries about your visa, or you want to apply for one, please call our award winning team on 01270 250 590 or visit our website: thetravelvisacompany.co.uk

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Will my passport stop me from travelling to America?

What you need to know

It has recently come into the news that UK residents are being rejected entry into the USA if they do not have an e-Passport. This is true. It was introduced last month by the American government but most are still unaware.

The reason this has blown up so much, and gained so much traction, is because of one English traveller who shared their unfortunate story on Facebook. As we all know, social media is a huge platform for sharing content, and so it is no surprise that a story like this has caught so much attention and been picked up by the mainstream media.

The traveller in question was due to travel to Florida from their closest UK based airport but got turned away at the check-in desk as they did NOT have an electronic passport.

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How can I tell if I have an electronic passport?

If you have had your British Citizen Passport issued before 2006 it is likely that you will NOT have an electronic passport. Passports issued after 2006 will be e-Passports but it is always worth checking. A simple way to check if you have an e-Passport is to simply look at the front cover of it:

You should see a small camera symbol at the bottom, in the centre (as pictured above). This indicates that your passport has an electronic chip that can store electronic visas.

You can apply for a new British Citizen Passport on the official government website here: www.gov.uk/apply-renew-passport. This costs £72.50, with an extra £9.75 fee for the Post Office’s Passport Check and Send service.

If you need any assistance with your passport renewal, you can download our passport renewal pack (includes an additional service fee).

Download Passport Renewal Application Pack

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Will I need a new ESTA for America?

If you are one of the unfortunate few who have already applied for, and been granted, a valid ESTA and have recently found out that you don’t have an electronic passport then you will have to apply again. Luckily for you, we can help!

The Travel Visa Company can assist with your new American ESTA application for business or tourist purposes. We take the stress away from your visa application by quality checking the application, completing the online forms on your behalf, emailing you the confirmation of approval and providing support and updates throughout the application process.

Apply now for just £27.50 per person: thetravelvisacompany.co.uk/america/ or call: 01270 250 590

    

Canada ETA

Electronic Travel Authorisation

The Canadian Tourism Commission have announced final regulations for Canada’s new ETA program, requiring all British citizens to obtain an authorisation before flying to Canada.

From March 15th 2016 all British Citizens will be able to apply for an ETA when travelling to Canada.

British Citizen Passport Holders who fly to or transit through Canada can now apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). Once approved, your eTA is valid for five years or until your passport expires.

In addition to this, the Canadian authorities have stated that until the 29th September 2016, travellers who do not have an eTA can still board their flight, as long as they have appropriate travel documents (eg a valid passport) and obtain their visa on arrival.

This means that from the 30th of September 2016 onward, Those flying into Canada (or transiting through) will not be able to board their flight without an eTA.

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What is an ETA?

ETA stands for ‘Electronic Travel Authorisation‘. This is an online method of obtaining your travel visa. The visa is applied electronically to the chip that is located in your passport. This then removes the need for stamps or labels being printed in your passport as well as completely getting removing the paper needed for the application.

How can I obtain an eTA?

The Travel Visa Company will be able to assist with all applications for this new Canadian ETA which will be valid for a period of 5 years from the date of issue. For further information, or to apply, please visit our website: thetravelvisacompany.co.uk/canada/ or call our award winning team on 01270 250 590.

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What to do and where to go in Canada!

Canada has been named as one of the top 20 most beautiful countries in the world by RoughGuides. It is home to the CN Tower, Chateau Frontenac and most notably the Niagra Falls.

Canada is filled with things to do and places to go. There really is something there for everyone! Canada is brilliant for national parks; with 40% of the land being covered by forests and has over 40 recognised national parks.

It has bustling cities like Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal that are teeming with restaurants, cocktail bars, clubs, entertainment venues, arenas, lounges, theatres and much more!

With a flight from London typically taking approximately 8 hours, what is stopping you? Apply for your eTA now!