Australia is a beautiful country with a vibrant culture that attracts thousands of visitors every year. If you plan your next trip here, you will get the chance to visit some spectacular locations, which will be a lifetime experience for you. Therefore, you should miss the most important part of your planning: the Visitor Subclass 600 visa. In addition to tourists, this Visitor Subclass 600 is also granted to business visitors, individuals who want to visit their family members in Australia, and those who want to complete a short academic course that covers not more than three months.
Depending on the stream you apply for, you can stay for 3 to 12 months in Australia. You can also use it if you need a short-term extension after your student visa expires. This blog discusses all the relevant details you must keep in mind before applying for the Visitor Visa 600.
Note These Five Streams Under The Visa
There are five streams under this visa, each of which comes with different specifications.
Tourist Stream
As the name suggests, the Tourist Stream allows international tourists to visit Australia and explore different corners of this country. This stream will also be applicable if you visit Australia while on a cruise. You can apply for the stream from inside or outside Australia.
Business Visitor Stream
Australia has a developed economy, and the growth sector is always increasing, and so many business people across the world visit Australia for professional reasons. Purposes include business dealings, contract negotiations, attending trade fairs or conferences. For those people, the Australian Immigration Department has designed this visa, which allows them to come and stay for 3 months each time.
Sponsored Family Stream
If one of your family members is a citizen or permanent resident of Australia and wants to sponsor you to travel to Australia and live with them, you have to apply for this stream. You can make this application only from outside of Australia.
Approved Destination Status Stream
This Tourist Visa 600 allows citizens of the People’s Republic of China to travel to Australia with a registered tourist organization. Only offshore applications are allowed for this stream.
Frequent Traveller Stream
This is another Australian tourist visa stream for the People’s Republic of China. People who need to frequently visit Australia for business or personal matters should apply for this stream.
Meet These Eligibility Criteria To Apply For The Visa
Remember that the eligibility criteria for the Visitor Visa Subclass 600 will differ from one stream to the other. Therefore, before starting your application, it is better to have a deep look at the requirements.
The general requirements are as follows.
- You must have enough financial capacity to cover all the costs of your visit to Australia.
- You must be a genuine visitor.
- Every visa applicant in Australia needs to have good health and character.
- There should not be any record of Australian Visa Subclass 600 refusal.
For stream-specific criteria, take a look at the following.
Tourist Visa Stream
- You must prove that you are coming to Australia for only tourism reasons.
- You can apply for this 600 Visa both from inside or outside Australia.
- Having a valid health insurance scheme is necessary.
Business Visa Stream
- People with valid business purposes can only apply for this stream.
- The application should be made outside Australia.
Sponsored Family Stream
- Your sponsoring family member must be an Australian permanent resident or citizen.
- The sponsoring person will need to provide a bond to prove that they are sponsoring you.
- You must also prove that the reason behind your entering Australia is to visit your relatives.
- You must have valid health insurance coverage.
Approved Destination Status Stream
- You must hold citizenship of the People’s Republic of China.
- It must be proved that you are visiting Australia only for travel.
Frequent Traveller Stream
- You have proven to be a People’s Republic of China citizen.
- Provide proof of visit of Australia for valid business or personal purposes and not to settle down here.
You Have To Follow A Step-By-Step Procedure To Make Your Application
If you satisfy all the Visitor Visa 600 eligibility criteria, you can now go for the application. Whether you make an onshore or offshore application, the procedure is the same.
- In the first step, you have to open an ImmiAccount on the Department of Home Affairs website.
- To start your application, you must log in to your account.
- Next, you have to fill out all the necessary information and submit all the relevant documents.
- Once all the documents are uploaded, you must now complete your application. Remember that in this step, you will need to make the payment, too. Failure to provide all the required information will cause unnecessary delays in the application procedure. If not responded to even after inquiries by the Department, your visa application will be rejected.
- You may be required to provide biometrics at a local office in your country of residence.
For professional guidance, you may hire a migration agent from Adelaide.
Submit These Documents At The Time Of Application
According to your home country and your intention to visit Australia, you must submit different documents. Documents that applicants need to submit while applying include:
- A filled-out application form
- Copies of bio-data pages of your valid passport
- A copy of a recent passport size photograph with the applicant’s name written on the back
- Name change proof
- Copy of birth certificate
- Evidence that you have adequate funds to stay in Australia, e.g. bank account statement
- Evidence that you have liabilities to return to your country of residence, like employment proof, enrolment in
- any educational institution, or holding of assets
- Return air ticket
You can do the following things while holding a Visitor Visa 600
While holding the Visitor 600 Subclass Visa, you can do several things in addition to travel.
- You can stay for up to one year on the Tourist Stream, Business Visitor Stream, and Sponsored Family Stream. However, the Business Visitor Stream applicants can stay only for 3 months on each of their visits. The same stay period applies to holders of the Frequent Traveller Stream, but the total period granted is 10 years.
- You can study a short-term course at an Australian institute.
But, you cannot do any paid job or provide public services.
The Visa Application Fees Will Vary
Visa 600 Australia application fees will be different for different streams. For example, for the Sponsored Family Stream, Business Visitor Stream, Approved Destination Status Stream, and the offshore application of the Tourist Stream, the fee is AUD145. If you apply for the Tourist Stream while inside Australia, you will need to pay a bit higher, AUD370. The payment is maximum in the case of the Frequent Traveller Stream, and that is AUD1085.
There Will Be Different Processing Times For Each Stream
Like fees, the Visitor Visa 600 processing time also varies according to streams.
- Tourist Stream: 5-6 months
- Business Visitor stream: 1-3 weeks
- Sponsored Family Stream: 4-6 months
For the last two streams, the processing time will depend on the profiles of both the visitor and the migration agent and the visit purpose.
Final Words
Multiple firms provide a range of immigration agent Adelaide. To contact them, send them an email, and they will respond to your queries immediately.