Visitor Visa
(subclass 600)
The Visitor Visa (Subclass 600) serves the purpose of enabling individuals to temporarily travel to Australia for tourism, business activities, or to visit family members. Stay with this visa for a period of 3, 6, 12 or 18 month(s) from the date of each arrival. However, you may receive multiple or single entries into Australia. The length is given on a case-by-case basis depending on the strength of your visa application. You can apply for this visa online via ImmiAccount and must outside Australia or in Australia if applying under the Tourist stream.
There are 3 different streams for this Visa: Tourist, Business Visitor and Sponsored Family stream.
Tourist Stream
Designed for individuals journeying to Australia for vacation or to connect with family and friends.
As the visa applicant, you are required to:
- Demonstrate a sincere intention to visit Australia. For holiday purposes, to reunite with family and/or friends, or for non-business/work and non-medical treatment reasons.
- Possess adequate financial means to sustain your expenses during your stay in Australia.
- Provide Biometrics and if required, undergo a health examination.
- Meet the relevant health and character criteria (this could include a requirement to obtain overseas visitor health cover (OVHC) insurance for the period of your stay in Australia).
Eligibility Criteria For Visitor Visa 600
To be eligible, you must fulfill the following requirements:
- Generally, you should apply for subclass 600 (visitor visa 600) if you are the holder of a Country of Passport not listed for the eVisitor (subclass 651) or the Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601)
- You may be inside or outside Australia when you apply and when the Department decides on your visa
- Have a genuine intention to visit Australia
- Have enough money for your stay in Australia
- Not work in Australia
- Maximum 3 months study or training while you are in Australia
- Meet the Department health and character requirements
- Where applicable, paid back your debt to the Australian Government.
Visitor 600 visa eligible Passports
Valid passport holders of any country can apply for this subclass 600 Visa. But generally, you would apply for this 600 Visa if your country of passport is not already listed as eligible for the eVisitor or ETA. Some subclass 600 streams are only for specified countries, such as the ‘Approved Destination Status’ stream for only PRC citizens.
Business Visitor Stream
This is for individuals who want an Australia visitor visa for brief business engagements, such as conferences, negotiations, or meetings.
As the visa applicant, you are required to:
- The applicant must be outside Australia.
- Authentically plan to visit Australia for a qualifying business activity, such as attending a conference, or seminar, participating in negotiations, or exploring business opportunities.
- Possess personal attributes and business background that align with the intended business activities in Australia.
- Ensure you have ample funds to meet your expenses during your stay in Australia.
- Provide Biometrics and if required, undergo a health examination.
- Meet the relevant health and character criteria (this could include a requirement to obtain overseas visitor health cover (OVHC) insurance for the period of your stay in Australia).
Sponsored Family Stream
Visitor visa 600 is for individuals who want an Australia visitor visa with the purpose of visiting family, this visa category requires sponsorship from an eligible relative residing in Australia.
As the visa applicant, you are obligated to:
- The applicant must be outside Australia.
- Obtain sponsorship from a qualifying relative based in Australia (refer to the eligibility criteria below).
- Authentically intend to visit family members in Australia.
- Provide Biometrics and if required, undergo a health examination.
- Possess adequate financial resources to meet your expenses during your stay in Australia.
- Fulfill the specified health and character criteria, which may involve securing health insurance for the duration of your visit to Australia.
See also the: Aged Dependent Relative Visa (Subclass 838) and Family sponsored (Temporary) Visa (Subclass 870) which may be a better alternative visa for family members who do not meet the balance of family test.
Sponsor Requirements For Visitor Visa
The individual facilitating your visit to Australia must:
- Hold Australian citizenship or permanent residency status.
- Be a minimum of 18 years old.
- Have established residence in Australia for a considerable duration, typically around 2 years.
- Be suitable to sponsor if you are a relative. To be a relative you must be either: a spouse/de facto partner, parent or child, brother or sister, grandparent or grandchild, aunt or uncle, niece or nephew (including ‘step’ or adopted equivalents of the above relations).
- Exceptions apply to sponsorship by a member of parliament, authorized representative or a mayor from a local government.
Additionally, the sponsoring individual MUST NOT:
- Currently sponsor another visitor with a valid visa (unless the sponsored person is a family member, and both individuals share the same purpose for traveling to Australia).
- Have sponsored a visitor who violated visa conditions within the last 5 years.
What you can do with the visa
This visa enables you to visit Australia for a holiday or to reconnect with family and friends. The entry conditions are specified as follows:
- You may be granted a single entry, requiring a new visa application for subsequent visits.
- Alternatively, you might have the flexibility to travel to and from Australia multiple times within the visa validity period. However, the cumulative duration of your stays in Australia must not exceed the granted period of stay.
- You may travel to any nearby country before re-entry into Australia to meet the exit and re-entry requirements on your visa.
Security bond
If necessary, your sponsor is obligated to submit a security bond, typically ranging from A$5000 to A$15,000. The bond will be reimbursed to your sponsor upon your adherence to visa conditions and departure from Australia before the visa expiration date.
Cost of the Visitor Visa (Subclass 600):
The application charge ranges from AUD $195 (offshore) to AUD $490 (onshore). Eligible passport holders may apply for a free or reduced-cost visa, such as the eVisitor (subclass 651) with no charge for specific country passport holders, or the Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) with an AUD $20 service charge for eligible passport holders.
Visa conditions
Condition 8101 (Must not work while you are in Australia).
You must not work while you are in Australia.
Condition 8201 (Maximum 3 months study allowed while you are in Australia).
This condition means that you are only allowed to engage in up to but not exceeding three
months of study or training while you are in Australia.
No Further Stay Conditions (including 8503, 8534, and 8535):
If you possess a visa with conditions 8503, 8534, or 8535 and want to stay in Australia, then you have the option to request a waiver for these conditions if your visa is set to expire within less than four weeks.
Condition 8558 (Must not stay in Australia for more than 12 months in any 18-month period):
This condition means you cannot stay for a period exceeding 12 months in Australia over any period of 18 months.