Australian Visa Types

The resident return visa is designed to allow permanent residents who have left Australia to return to Australia.

A permanent visa generally expires after 5 years. After that time, a permanent resident does not actually hold a visa, nor is he or she a citizen. This means that when they leave Australia and attempt to return, they must hold a valid visa of some kind. Usually a resident return visa is granted.

In cases where absences are significant, it may require some submissions to the Department to show necessary ties to Australia to justify the grant of a resident return visa.

The medical visa is designed to allow someone who is in need of medical attention to receive that medical assistance in Australia. This can happen whether the applicant is onshore or offshore.

Generally, these visas are granted to people who

• have medical treatment or medical consultations in Australia
• donate an organ
• support the person who is having medical treatment in Australia.

Visitor or Tourist visas are designed to allow people to travel to Australia as tourists, for business or to visit family.

These visas are temporary visas.

This visa has four streams:

1. Tourist stream: for people travelling to Australia for a holiday, recreation or to visit family and friends. If you apply for this visa in Australia, you must be in Australia when the visa is decided. If you apply for this visa outside Australia, you must be outside Australia when the visa is decided.
2. Business Visitor stream: for business people travelling to Australia for a short business visit. This includes going to a conference, negotiation or meeting. You must be outside Australia when you apply and when the visa is decided.
3. Sponsored Family stream: for people travelling to Australia to visit their family. You must have a sponsor who might be asked to provide a bond. You must be outside Australia when you apply and when the visa is decided. You cannot apply for another visa after you have arrived in Australia.
4. Approved Destination Status stream: for people from the People’s Republic of China who are travelling in an organized tour group. You must be outside Australia when you apply and when the visa is decided.

Other than Partner and Parent visas, there are a number of other family visas available. These include

Child, Dependant relative, Last remaining relative and carer visas.

These visas are designed to allow relatives to be re-united in Australia.

The carer visa is designed to allow someone to come to Australia to live on the proviso that they care for an Australian citizen or permanent resident who needs care due to health reasons.

Parent visas are designed to allow Australian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents to come to Australia to live permanently.

There are two kinds of parent visa – Contributory and non-contributory.

The contributory parent visa involves paying a very high visa application charge, designed to compensate the Australian Government for health care costs associated with the elderly.

The non-contributory parent visa has a relatively much lower application charge, however the processing times for this visa are extremely long.

There are other criteria such as the balance of family test and health criteria that must be satisfied to be eligible for a parent visa.

Bridging visas are not a ‘real’ visa – the words used by the law is they are not a substantive visa. This means that a bridging visa holder generally has less rights under the immigration law framework than someone who holds a substantive visa.

Bridging visas are used to “bridge” the gap between one visa and another. When you apply for another visa, that application may not be decided for a number of months. In the meantime, your old visa may expire. In such an event, a bridging visa is used to keep the person ‘lawful’ in terms of immigration status.

Bridging visas can be complicated and there are some catastrophic outcomes for people who fail to secure a bridging visa properly.

Working Holiday visas are designed to allow young people (18-30 years old) to come to Australia on a working holiday. The visa is valid for up to 12 months.

Working holiday makers from certain countries are required to hold some form of tertiary qualification like a diploma.

The working holiday can in most cases be extended for a further 12 months provided the visa holder has completed at least 3 months of regional work of an approved kind.

Not all passport holders are eligible for a working holiday visa. Also, there may be special criteria that applies depending on what country you are from.

A graduate visa is for students who have studied in Australia for a defined period of time and in certain courses. It is designed to allow international students further time in Australia to seek employment and consider whether they wish or are eligible to stay on in Australia, potentially as permanent residents. There is also a graduate visa for international engineering graduates.

The 407 Training Visa is a visa designed for people to come to (or stay in) Australia to improve their skills through occupational (on the job) training programmes. They generally must have a qualification already, and in most cases require 12 months work experience before being eligible. Training programmes must be formal training programmes designed to improve the visa holder’s knowledge or qualify for particular registration.

The 408 Temporary Activities visa is designed for short stays (up to two years) for people to work in particular positions. There are a variety of types, such as elite sports players, religious workers, researchers, invited participants, youth exchange programs and more. These visas can be useful for short stays where the person is coming to Australia for a particular function that fits within the accepted categories for this visa.

The 400 visa is for workers to come to Australia for 3 months (and up to six months) to perform highly specialised work that is non ongoing. There is no objective definition of highly specialised work, so it takes on its ordinary meaning. Applicants will need to demonstrate that the employer cannot find Australians to perform the work, that there is something peculiar about the work that prevents locals from being able to do it, and the work is for a defined period of time.