How to arrive and

The fine print, costs and processing time of the Visitor visa and ETA

You can find information about the validity and conditions of your visa on the visa label in your passport or on the letter advising you of the grant of your visa.

- Visa validity

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  A Visitor ETA is valid for multiple visits within 12 months from date of issue, and the maximum length of each visit/stay is three months
  
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  A Sponsored Family Visitor visa is valid for one single visit and allows a stay in Australia of up to 3 months
  
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  A Tourist (Short Stay) normally allows a stay in Australia of up to 3 months. It may be granted for a single entry or multiple entries
  
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  A Tourist (Long Stay) normally allows a stay in Australia of up to 6 months. It may be granted for a single entry or multiple entries
  

- Visa conditions

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  8101 - The holder must not engage in work in Australia
  
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  8201 - While in Australia the holder must not engage, for more than 3 months, in any studies or training; and/or
  
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  8205 - If the holder is at least 11 years of age and:
  
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  (a) is from a country other than a country that is designated, by Gazette Notice, as a country in relation to which this condition does not apply; and
  
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  (b) intends to study in a class-room environment for a period greater than 4 weeks;
  

the holder must, before commencing that study, pass a chest X-ray examination carried out by a medical practitioner who is qualified as a radiologist; and/or

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  8503 - The holder will not, after entering Australia, be entitled to be granted a substantive visa, other than a Protection visa, while the holder remains in Australia.
  

There is also a Short Validity Business ETA which entitles the holder to make multiple visits within 12 months and permits a stay of up to 3 months on each visit.

An ETA is equivalent to a visa, but there is no stamp or label in your passport and there is no need for you to visit an Australian diplomatic office to submit an application. When an application for an ETA is submitted through the ETA site, all you need to do is enter the details from your passport and your credit card information. There will be an entry on your credit card statement against ‘iVisa Services’ for A$20 for each ETA application processed by this site.
Your application is processed immediately. As part of the application/approval process, you will be issued with a reference number. Approved applications are electronically recorded on Australian government computer system. When you arrive at an airport for check-in to a flight to Australia, the airline staff will electronically confirm that you have authority to board the flight to Australia.
All family members must have a visa or ETA to travel to Australia. The ETA system can be used to apply for an ETA for each member of your family travelling with you, provided they also fall within the ETA eligibility criteria. Even if your children travel on your passport they will need a separate ETA. When you apply, you will need to enter the passport details exactly as for your own passport, replacing the name, date of birth, sex and country of birth with your children's details as they appear in the passport.

8) The Working Holidaymaker visa (WHV)

The Working Holiday Program provides people between 18 and 30 from certain countries the privilege of being able to holiday in Australia and to supplement their travel money through occasional incidental employment. The visa allows a stay of up to 12 months from the date of first entry to Australia - regardless of whether or not you spend the whole time in Australia. You are allowed to do any kind of work of a temporary or casual nature. Working for more than three months with any one employer is not permitted.

A Working Holiday visa gives you 12 months to travel to Australia from the date the visa is granted, and allows you to stay in Australia for 12 months from the date you first enter Australia. You can leave and re-enter Australia within the 12 months from the date of initial entry to Australia. However, if you depart Australia during your 12 month stay, you are not able to recover in any way the period of time spent outside Australia.
From 1st July 2008, Working Holiday visa holders who have worked in the construction industry in regional Australia for at least 3 months are eligible to apply for a second Working Holiday visa. Previously, second Working Holiday visas were only available to individuals who have worked for farmers in regional Australia for a period of 3 months.

Eligibility
Australia has reciprocal Working Holiday maker arrangements in effect with: the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Republic of Ireland, Republic of Korea, Malta, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China, Finland, the Republic of Cyprus, France, and Italy, Belgium, Uruguay and Taiwan.
Australia also signed a Working Holiday arrangement with Estonia on 20 September 2004. The date on which this arrangement is anticipated to take effect is early 2005. Currently, Australia welcomes over 85 000 working holiday makers every year.

Applying
The Working Holiday visa cannot be granted in Australia. All visa applications must be made overseas. Passport holders of 11 foreign countries (the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Italy, France and Belgium) are able to apply for a Working Holiday visa in any country (except Australia). Holders of the following passports must lodge their application in the country of the passport that they hold: Japan, Malta, The Republic of Cyprus, The Republic of Korea and Germany. Holders of passports issued by the authorities of Taiwan or the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China must apply for their visas in Hong Kong and Taiwan respectively.
Most working holiday visa applications may be made over the internet. If you are not eligible to apply for a working holiday visa over the internet (Cyprus, BNO and Taiwan passport holders), please complete the Form 1150 (http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/1150.pdf ) and contact the relevant visa processing office for your type of passport. You should look at the following webpage too: http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/index.htm

You can apply for a Working Holiday Visa online for just A$235. There may be additional costs involved if you are required to undergo a health examination or chest x-ray.

You will be notified of the outcome of your application within 48 hours. In a very few instances applications may need to be referred to an Australian Immigration Office in Australia for further processing. Such referred applications can take up to 4 weeks to finalise.
In some cases, DIBP may contact you before they reach a decision in order to ask you to:

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  request additional information, or
  
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  ask you to undergo a health check, or
  
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  arrange an interview at an Australian Diplomatic office.
  

The requirements

You are required to possess a return ticket, or sufficient funds for a return fare. You are also required to possess sufficient funds for the initial stages of your holiday. Please be aware that you may be asked to provide evidence of your return airfare and funds upon arrival in Australia. Evidence of funds can take the form of bank statements or savings books.

All applicants are required to meet health criteria. In certain circumstances, you will be required to undergo formal health examinations. A chest x-ray will be required if you:

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  are a resident of a country considered to be of a very high health risk in terms of tuberculosis (a list of countries is available in form 1163i), or
  
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  have spent more than 3 consecutive months in the last 5 years in a country considered to be of a very high health risk in terms of tuberculosis, or
  
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  are likely to enter an Australian hospital or health care area (including nursing homes) to work, or
  
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  are likely to be engaged in an Australian child care centre (including pre-schools or crèches) as either an employee or trainee.
  

See: Form 1163i ‘Health requirement for temporary entry to Australia’ http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/1163i.pdf
A chest x-ray and a medical examination, including any specialist reports, will be required if:

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  there is an indication you may not meet the health criteria, or
  
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  you are likely to work or study in a classroom environment for more than 4 weeks and hold a passport from a country considered to be of a very high health risk in terms of tuberculosis.
  

Additionally, you will need to undergo HIV/Hepatitis B/Hepatitis C testing if you intend to work in the health care industry. This especially the case if you have worked as a doctor, dentist, nurse or dental hygienist. Examinations are to be conducted by panel doctors.

Employment rights
Working Holiday makers are permitted to do any kind of work of a temporary or casual nature. However, if you intend to work in your occupation in Australia, you should be aware that registration or licensing may be required by the employer or certifying body relevant to the role. Work condition 8108, which is attached to the Working Holiday visa, states that "the holder must not be employed in Australia by any one employer for more than 3 months, without the prior permission in writing of the Secretary (of the Department)".
The main purpose of your visit should be to holiday and travel. Any work should be incidental to supplement funds and periods of work should be broken up by periods of holiday and travel. Working beyond the three months with the same employer without the required permission may result in your visa being cancelled and you may be required to leave Australia.
For the purposes of condition 8108, DIBP regards the 'employer' as the organisation for which you are actually working or the 'end user'. Where you are referred by an agency or labour supplier to a business, you are permitted to work for that business for three months. The same agency or labour supplier can later refer you to another business where you may work for another three months.

You are not permitted to extend your employment beyond 3 months with any one employer through the use of business affiliates and/or sub-contracting arrangements, or by using different employment agencies in order to remain in the same job. In practical terms, this means that you cannot work for longer than 3 months in the same position, in the same location, doing the same work.

Other points to kept in mind

Should your spouse or partner wish to join you for a Working Holiday, they will also need to fulfil the above requirements. Working Holiday visa holders are permitted to study or train for up to a maximum of 3 months. You should budget to have a minimum of A$5 000 at the outset of your adventure under this visa.
Medical treatment in Australia can be very expensive and it is advisable to have both travel and health insurance. You may wish to consider taking out private health insurance to cover yourself in Australia unless there is a reciprocal health insurance agreement between Australia and the government of your country of citizenship. Enquiries about the possible existence of such arrangements should be made when you apply. (See the chapter below where Medicare is discussed.)
You can apply to change your Working Holiday status while you are in Australia if you meet the requirements for the other visa. Working Holiday visa holders are able to meet the criteria for a Visitor visa to enable a longer stay in Australia only if exceptional circumstances exist. People on another type of visa cannot change to a Working Holiday visa in Australia – they must leave the country to do so.