Visitor visa (subclass 600)
Subclass 600 is one visa with six streams. Which stream fits depends on what you will be doing here and where you will be when you apply and when the decision is made, so it is worth identifying before you start filling anything in.
It sets out how the visa is structured and what to gather. It does not tell you which stream you qualify for — that depends on your circumstances, and it is what an appointment is for.
The six streams
- Tourist stream (applications from overseas) — For a holiday, or to visit family or friends, including a cruise. Applied for and decided while you are outside Australia. It is a visitor visa, so it does not permit work.
- Tourist stream (applications in Australia) — The same purposes, where you are in Australia when you apply and when the decision is made.
- Business visitor stream — For business visitor activities. What counts as an eligible activity is on that page.
- Sponsored Family stream — Where a sponsor is involved in the visit. That page sets out what the stream requires.
- Approved Destination Status stream — Applies under the Approved Destination Status arrangement. See that page for who it covers.
- Frequent Traveller stream — Its own stream with its own requirements. See that page.
Where you are when you apply
The two tourist streams differ on location rather than purpose: one is for applications made and decided while you are outside Australia, the other for applications made and decided while you are in Australia. Both cover holidays and visits to family or friends, including a cruise; both ask for funds to support the visit; and neither permits work. Location is one key distinction among the criteria, not the whole of eligibility, and business or medical purposes are dealt with outside the tourist streams.
Where the requirements and the application are published
What to have ready
- Your passport, and the passports of anyone travelling with you
- Why you are coming, and the dates
- Where you will be staying, and who is arranging it
- Evidence of funds for the visit
- Where you will be when you apply — this helps identify the relevant tourist stream; other requirements apply as well
- Any previous refusal, cancellation or visa held, with its reference number
Six: two tourist streams, a business visitor stream, a sponsored family stream, an Approved Destination Status stream and a Frequent Traveller stream. Each has its own page and its own requirements, linked above.
Where you are when you apply and when the decision is made: outside Australia for the overseas stream, in Australia for the onshore one. The rest of each stream's requirements still apply.
No. It is a visitor visa: the tourist streams are for holidays and visits, not for work. If work is the purpose, a different visa applies.
Business visitor activities may fall within the business visitor stream rather than a tourist stream. What counts as an eligible business visitor activity is set out on that stream's own page, and it is worth checking against what you will actually be doing.
Both are on the official pages, and the Department publishes a processing-time guide based on recently decided applications. This page does not repeat either figure.
A registered migration agent, an Australian legal practitioner, or an exempt person. The Department publishes who qualifies and it is worth checking before you pay anybody.
Talk to somebody about your own situation
This page explains how the visa is structured and what to prepare. What applies to you depends on your circumstances.
General information about Australian visa processes, not legal advice about your situation. Legal services are provided by Jameson Law.