If you are not the parent of a PR holder or citizen

how should you choose the right visa to visit or travel?

NO.1 

One-year validity — up to 3 months per stay; the most common visitor visa applied for from offshore

Who it is for: parents, siblings, other relatives, and friends travelling to Australia for a short trip normally apply under this option; parents of temporary-resident visa holders (e.g. Subclass 485/500/491/482) wanting to join their children in Australia, or who are simply coming as tourists, also use this visa.

The most common misunderstanding: Many people mistakenly assume the 3-month stay must fall entirely within the 12-month validity period — this is simply not true.For example, with the visitor visa below, if the holder enters on 5 December 2020, they may remain in Australia until 5 March 2021 (not only until 10 December 2020, as is sometimes misread).

NO.3

Three-year validity — up to 12 months per stay; no more than 12 months of stay in any 18-month period

Who it is for: the applicant must be the parent of an Australian PR holder or citizen, must have previously visited Australia on a visitor visa, and must take out insurance and complete a medical examination。

Although this visa is often called a “family-visit visa,” it is still a visitor visa.Once children obtain permanent residence, if they want their parents close to them for extended periods, this is usually the category they apply for.

For advice on a visitor-visa application — including whether it is advisable to lodge with a blank passport or a previous refusal history — please contact the customer-service team below and we will arrange a consultant to walk you through it.

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NO.4

18-month validity — up to 12 months per stay; no more than 12 months of stay in any 18-month period

Who it is for: almost identical to Category 3, with one key difference —it is for PR parents who have never been to Australia before. Because most parents have already visited Australia at least once before deciding to stay longer on a second trip, almost everyone applies for the three-year visa instead,so this category sees fewer applications。

NO.5

Five-year validity — up to 12 months per stay; no more than 12 months of stay in any 18-month period

Who it is for: again almost identical to Category 3, with one key difference —the PR sponsor’s parents must have already lodged an application for the Subclass 103/143 Parent migration visa。

NO.6

One-year validity — up to 6 or 12 months per stay

typically available to parents of Australian PR holders or citizens, with a medical examination required. This option is rarely used — applicants are usually better off lodging Category 3 in one go.

NO.7

Ten-year validity — up to 3 months per stay; no more than 12 months of stay in any 24-month period

Who it is for: the same scenarios as Category 1, but the visa fee is significantly higher and the applicant must attend a visa-application centre for biometrics collection (currently only available in Hong Kong SAR). For that reason it suits well-resourced travellers or business visitors who simply do not want the hassle of re-applying every year.

NO.8

Sponsored Family — single-entry; stay length after arrival typically 1 to 12 months

Many DIY applicants assume that having a permanent-resident relative or child in Australia means they must apply under this category —this is incorrect.

The Sponsored Family stream carries a number of restrictions — single-entry, shorter onshore stay length, and the 8503 “no further stay” condition is typically imposed.For that reason we only recommend this category for applicants with a previous refusal history, from a high-risk region, or with limited financial capacity, who also havea citizen or PR relative in Australia willing to provide sponsorship.

NO.9

Business Visitor — commonly used for travel to Australia for

business inspections, contract negotiations, site visits, meetings,and similar activities.

Applying under this category is not as simple as “a friend’s Australian company issues an invitation letter.”

You need an invitation and supporting letter from an Australian company, together with sufficientbusiness-visit supporting evidence — for example,the necessity of this particular trip. Is it for training? A meeting? On-site technical support? You will also need todocument the commercial relationship between the Chinese and Australian companies, the applicant’s own working relationship with the Australian company, and why this particular person needs to travel to Australia.

NO.10

Group Travel —

only available to certain accredited tour groups in China. It carries the 8503 condition (no onshore further stay) and is not covered in detail here。

If the applicants are parents of PR/permanent residents,

please watch the video introduction below.

[Just how long can a parent’s visitor visa actually be?]