Australian Visa for Indian Citizens

How to get an Australian Visitor Visa for Indian citizens / passport holders

Australian Visitor Visas allow Indian citizens to visit Australia on trips of up to 12 months for tourism / visiting friends and relatives However, this is limited to stays of 3 months if you are travelling for business purposes. The visas are valid for 12 months. You are not allowed to receive payment for work on these visas. Your visa, if it is granted, will have conditions attached to it. These conditions will depend on your circumstances. You might be granted a visa for a shorter stay than you applied for. Therefore, you should not make any travel plans until your visa has been granted.

Australian Tourism Visa for Indian Citizens / passport holders

You can apply for an Australian tourist visa for the purposes of tourism, holidays, visiting family, study or training. You can apply to stay for up to 3, 6 or 12 months in Australia, although it can be quite difficult to get a visa for 6 and 12 month stays.

Please Note: You will be required to submit a certified copy of your passport together with a list of documents (this will be provided upon registration) for this type of application. You will be asked for further supporting information. The exact list will depend on how long you want to stay for, and the reason for your visit.

Australian Business Visa for Indian Citizens / passport holders

You can apply for an Australian business visitor visa for the purposes of attending seminars, attending business meetings, business negotiations, meetings with clients, meetings with suppliers. You are NOT allowed to sell services or goods on this visa. An Australian Business visa you will limit your business visits to 3 months at a time.

Please Note:  As part of the application, you will be required to submit a letter of invitation from the host company in Australia, or a detailed itinerary of your trip.

Indian citizens cannot apply for a standard Australian visitors visa if the following circumstances apply:

If you wish to study for more than 3 months

These visas only allow you to study for a maximum of 3 months. If you wish to study for longer, you will have to apply for an Australian Student Visa

If you plan to work in Australia

These visas do not allow you to do ANY paid work in Australia. Indian passport holders cannot apply for working holiday visas.

If you have Criminal Convictions

If you have any criminal convictions, you MUST declare these. Australia has very strict rules. The process will take longer and there will be additional charges. Please go to our page on Australian visas for individuals with criminal convictions and register here instead.

How to apply for a visa to Australia from India

If you hold an Indian passport, you cannot use the online e-visa system. You must apply manually. Our experienced migration advisers can help you with the process.

As an Indian passport holder, you may apply for a visitor visa for Australia. You can do so either from within, India. Alternatively, you may apply from the country where you normally live. If you apply from outside of India, you must have a minimum of 6 months remaining on your residency permit for that country.

Check the expiry date of your passport. You must have a minimum of 6 months left on your passport on the day that you LEAVE Australia. Your visa will be digitally linked to your passport. This means, that if your passport expires, or your passport is replaced, you will have to apply for a new visa. So it makes sense to renew your passport before applying for your visa.

STEP 1:  Register your request to apply for an Australian Short Stay Visa.

You can register your application through our online system. This enables our experienced advisers to assess your individual circumstances and make initial recommendations.

The cost of this initial registration is

£28.00

STEP 2: Preparing your personalised information and checklists.

Once you have completed your online registration, we assign a named member from our team of experts to your application. They will be able to advise you on the Australian visa application process from India (or your country of residence). Most importantly, they will prepare a suitable checklist of the information that needs to accompany your application. In addition, they will advise on where to need to submit your application. This is all included in the registration fee.

STEP 3: Submit you Visa Application

You may feel confident to continue with the application on your own, based using the information that we have provided.

However, you may prefer to continue working with your experienced adviser to give yourself the best chance of getting your Australian visitor visa in the quickest possible time. If so, they will assist you through the entire visa application process and advise on any further requests from Australian Immigration. The cost of this professional service is £90.

STEP 4: Pay any additional fees

Any further fees will be payable directly to the relevant agencies.

Australian Immigration costs

• You must pay a fee of AUD140.00 to Australian Immigration, for the processing of your visa application.
• As an Indian Citizen, you can ask for your visa to be fast-tracked. This costs an additional AUD1,000

There might be further fees:

• any medical examinations / health checks that may be are required
• police clearance certificate
• you may have to have recognition checks
• documents that need to be verified

Please note that all these fees relate to the processing of your application. Therefore, you will NOT receive a refund if your application is refused.

Australia visa requirements from India

General Australian visa requirements for Indian Citizens

• You must be outside Australia when you apply for your Australian visitor visa
• Meet health requirements. A number of factors are considered, including serious illness.
  • The World Health Organisation considers India to be high risk for tuberculosis. It is therefore likely that you will have to undergo medical examination.
  • You will have to undergo a health check if you are over 75 years old, or you are applying to stay in Australia for longer than 3 months.
• Be of good character. You must declare any criminal convictions, answer all questions truthfully and supply all the requested information. Australian Immigration may ask you to provide police certificates for every country that you lived in.
• Debts to the Australian government. If you or your family owe money to the Australian Government, you must have an arrangement in place to pay it back.
• Have enough money. You must show that you have access to enough money to pay for your entire stay in Australia. If you are unable to do so, this will slow down you application.
• You must be a genuine visitor. You must plan to stay in Australia temporarily, and obey all conditions of your visa.
• Health insurance. Australia does not have an agreement with India to cover medical costs. This means, you will have to pay for any healthcare costs you incur during your stay in Australia. We therefore recommend that you take out medical insurance for your entire trip.

Supporting documents required for Indian Citizens applying for an Australian visa:

When you apply for your Australian Tourist or Business Visa, you must information about your trip. Australian Immigration will use this information to decide whether your visa can be granted. If you supply complete and detailed information, your application can be processed more quickly.

Below is a guideline of documentation you need to consider. Your representative will prepare a personal list for you of information that you need to supply:

• A certified copy of your passport
• The purpose of the trip,
  • for a tourist visa, this is can be to visit friends, relatives or for tourism.
  • you can apply for a business visa to attend meetings, conferences etc., but it does not permit paid work in Australia.
• For a business trip, you will need to submit a letter of invitation from the host company in Australia, or give details of your trip.
• You may have to show an itinerary / program for your trip.
• Proof that you are able to pay for your stay in Australia. You may be planning on paying for everything yourself. If friends or relatives are helping out by providing free accommodation, you have to provide details.
• Your plans for departing from Australia

How long does it take for Indian passport holders to get an Australian Visa?

Australian Immigration will start processing your application once they have received all the supporting information, as indicated in the checklist that we give you. It normally takes 4 weeks,  from this date to get a decision. We urge you not to make any travel arrangements until your visa is in place. Check the status of your visa

Conditions of an Australian Visitor Visa for Indian Citizens

Australian Immigration will attach conditions to the visa that they grant to you. The exact conditions will depend on:

• your circumstances,
• why you want to visit Australia,
• and how long you want to stay.

The typical conditions for this type of visa are as follows:

• Your visa won’t allow you to receive payment for any work during your stay in Australia. However, you may be able to participate in some types of voluntary work.
• You may not receive payment for any business activities that you carry out in Australia.
• You are not allowed to study or attend training for more than 3 months in total. If you intend to study for more than 4 weeks during your stay, you will have to pass a health examination first.
• You must make sure that you have adequate health insurance for your whole stay in Australia.
• You must depart from Australia before your visa expires.
• On the day that you depart, your passport must be valid for at least another 6 months.
• Australian Immigration might grant your visa for multiple visits, or just a single visit.
• The conditions on your visa might stipulate “no further stay”. If this is the case, you normally cannot apply for another visa whilst in Australia
• If you have already been granted a visa, you can check the conditions that apply to your personal visa