Australia is one of the most developed countries in the world. It is an island known for being the seventh best country in the world as well as for being an educational hub. It is also popular for its iconic structures such as the Sydney Opera House and for its wildlife. Millions of people travel to Australia every year for tourism, work and education. If you too want to travel to the beautiful country of Australia, you can do so by obtaining an Australia visa. You would also need travel health insurance to be able to travel to Australia.
Australia visa is an official authorization that allows foreigners to enter the island country of Australia. It is a document attached to the passport that allows its holders to enter, stay as well as transit through the borders of Australia. Australia visa holders can stay for a limited period of time or permanently depending on their visa validity. The Australia visa is granted by the Department of Home Affairs of the Government of Australia.
It is mandatory of all citizens of India to obtain a valid Australian visa for Indians in order to visit Australia. However, Australian High Commission in India has granted VFS Global with the responsibility to collect all Australia visa applications in India. It is mandatory for all applicants of Australia visa to possess a valid health insurance or travel insurance policy.
Australia provides a variety of visas to people seeking to enter the country. The visas can be differentiated according to the purpose of the travel. It helps the authorities to understand the reason why a foreigner is entering Australia. Here are the various Australian visa types offered to Indians:
A visitor visa is a type of Australia visa meant for foreign nationals who wish to travel to the country for vacations, business or for receiving medical treatment. This Visitor visa Australia offers to the world is granted for a short duration of time. It includes Tourist visa, Business visa and Medical Treatment visa. The Tourist visa Australia allows people to travel for vacations as well as to meet family and friends. Business visa Australia permits its holders to attend seminars, conference, meetings and explore business opportunities. Although visitor visa holders can study and obtain training for up to 3 months but cannot work in Australia. Parents of Australian citizens and permanent residency holders can apply for Long-term Visitor visas.
Student visa is a type of Australia visa that grants permission to a foreign national to study in Australia. This student visa Australia offers can also be applied by the family members of the students, provided the student had declared their names at the time of applying for this visa. However, guardians of the students will have to apply for a Student Guardian visa.
A Family or Spouse visa is a type of Australia visa that can be used by its holder to move to his/ her spouse or partner in Australia. The spouse visa Australia offers can be applied only by the spouse or partner of an existing Australian citizen. This type of visa can also be applied by parents or children who want to live with their children or parents living in Australia.
Transit visa is a type of Australia visa that allows people from outside the country to transit to another country from Australia. The purpose of this visa is to get permission to access the international transit areas of an Australian airport to catch a connecting flight to another country. People entering the country through non-military ships can apply for a Maritime Crew visa. This type of Australia visa is granted for a maximum of 72 hours.
Resident Return visa is a type of visa that permits its holders to return to Australia as a permanent resident. It can be applied by a person who is a non-Australian citizen but a permanent resident of the country and needs to constantly travel to & from the country. Australia PR visa or permanent residency visa allows its holders to travel in and out of the country innumerable times as long as the visa stays valid. An applicant of this visa can also include family members under the same application. This Australia PR visa is linked digitally to the passport and not posted as a label on the passport.
A Work visa is a type of Australia visa that can be used by foreign nationals to work in Australia. This Australia work permit provides a variety of short-term and long-term visa to people who want to engage in different kinds of work. You can get this working visa Australia grants for a period ranging from 6 months to 4 years. While most people apply for 489 visa Australia for skilled work, you can also apply for Investor visa Australia for staying there permanently.
| Types of Australia Visas | Australia Visa Validity | |
| Visitor visa | Tourist visa | Up to 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 3 years, 5 years |
| Business visitor | Up to 3 months | |
| Medical Treatment | As long as the treatment lasts | |
| Student visa | Up to 5 years (for study)Up to 2 years (for training) | |
| Transit visa | 72 hours | |
| Resident Return visa | 3 months, 1 year, 2 years, | |
| Family/ Spouse visa | 9 months (for prospective marriage visa)2 years (for contributory parent temporary visa) | |
| Work visa | Skilled regional (provisional) visa | 4 years |
| Temporary skill shortage visa | Up to 2- 4 years | |
| Business innovation & investment (provisional) visa | 3 months, Up to 4 years | |
| Temporary work (international relations) visa | Up to 9 months (Seasonal Worker Program)Up to 12 months (Domestic worker scheme)Up to 2 years (Government Agreement stream)Up to 3 years (Pacific Labour Scheme stream)Up to 4 years (Foreign Government Agency stream) | |
| Temporary Activity visa | Up to 12 months | |
All Indian citizens who wish to travel to Australia will need an Australian visa for Indians. Whether you want to travel for vacations, for studying, for work or to live with one of your family members, obtaining an Australia visa for Indians is mandatory. Even if you want to just transit from one of the international airports in Australia, you would require a visa from the Department of Home Affairs in Australia. Make sure to purchase international travel insurance as it is compulsory for all Australia visa applicants to have health insurance.
Applying for Australia visa involves an easy and convenient procedure. Applicants can apply for Australia visa both online and offline. Online lodgement is the quickest and most popular way of applying for Australia visa. Follow the steps given below to apply for Australia visa online:
All applicants of Australia visa for Indians need to submit a few documents along with their visa applications. The document checklist can be found on the official website of Australia’s Department of Home Affairs. You can also go through the list of documents needed to be submitted along with different kinds of Australia visa below:
To find out about all the supporting documents you need along with different Australia visa types, refer to the table below:
| Australia Visa Types | Documents Required |
| Visitor Visa for medical treatment |
|
| Student visa |
|
| Family/ Spouse visa |
|
Each Australia visa application attracts a visa fee that has to be paid in order to obtain the visa. Take a look at the visa fee for each type of Australia visa:
| Australia Visa Types | Australia Visa Fee (In AUD) | |
| Visitor visa | Tourist visa | 145 |
| Business visitor | 145 | |
| Medical Treatment | 315 | |
| Transit visa | Free | |
| Student visa | For study | 620 |
| For training | 310 | |
| Resident Return visa | 405 | |
| Family/ Spouse visa | For spouse or partner | 71607715 (for prospective marriage visa) |
| For children | 2665 | |
| For parents | 6415 (Permanent visa)31930 (contributory parent visa temporary)47755 (contributory parent visa permanent) | |
| Work visa | Skilled regional (provisional) visa | 4045 |
| Temporary skill shortage visa | 1265 | |
| Business innovation & investment (provisional) visa | 5375 | |
| Temporary work (international relations) visa | 310 | |
| Temporary Activity visa | 310 | |
Australia must be one of the most urbanized countries but it cannot guarantee safety from any eventualities during your stay there. In fact, adversities can take place even before you commence your trip. What if you meet with an accident a day before your travel or a natural disaster cancels all the flights? All your excitement for the trip will come crashing down if such emergencies force you to postpone or cancel your trip. On the top of it, you will incur huge losses on flight tickets, hotel and tour bookings. You can stay protected from such situations if you have a travel insurance policy.
Travel insurance is a safety net that provides protection to the insured travellers against any unforeseen incidents. It not only keeps you adequately protected but also compensates you for any losses that you may incur due to the emergency. By purchasing a travel insurance for your trip to Australia, you can get covered for medical expenses, daily hospital cash, loss or delay in check-in baggage arrival, loss of passport, medical evacuation, flight delay, trip cancellation & curtailment, missed connection flight, personal liability, medical repatriation, emergency cash assistance, personal accident cover, hijack cover, home burglary insurance, etc.
A travel insurance policy can be purchased for a single trip as well as for multiple trip. Travellers can also opt for a plan that best suit their trip requirements. For instance, senior citizens can opt for senior citizen travel insurance and business travellers can get a corporate travel insurance. Families can purchase a family travel insurance policy which provides protection on family floater basis. All insurance companies provide custom-made student travel insurance plan that offers extra covers including sponsor protection, study interruption, compassionate visit, payment card security cover and bail bond.
In order to apply for an Australian visa for Indians, you need to first obtain a travel health insurance. No visa applicant will be granted an Australia visa without a health insurance policy. Make sure to obtain your travel insurance policy before you apply for the Australia visa.
Different types of Australia visa takes different amount of time to get processed. In order to find out how much time will you take to get your Australia visa, refer to the table given below:
| Australia Visa Types | Visa Processing Time | |
| Visitor visa | Tourist visa | 20 to 25 days |
| Business visitor | 12 to 18 days | |
| Medical Treatment | 32 to 56 days | |
| Transit visa | 8 to 14 days | |
| Student visa | For study | 12 to 182 days (depending different types of courses) |
| For training | 43 to 83 days | |
| Family/ Spouse visa | For Partner visa | 18 to 29 months16 to 21 months (provisional)17 to 22 months (prospective marriage visa) |
| For child visa/ adoption visa | 12 to 23 months | |
| Resident Return visa | 5 to 84 days | |
| Work visa | Temporary skill shortage visa | 34 to 54 days |
| Temporary work (international relations) visa | 13 to 21 days | |
| Temporary Activity visa | 28 to 43 days | |
What types of visa are there for Australia?
Australia visa for Indians are broadly divided into six categories:
1. Visitor visa
2. Transit visa
3. Student visa
4. Family/ Spouse visa
5. Work visa
6. Resident Return visa
Do I need a visa to go to Australia?
Yes. All applicants with an Indian passport require a valid Australia visa in order to travel, stay and transit from Australia. Find out the type of Australia visa that suits your purpose of travel before applying.
Can I get married in Australia on a tourist visa?
Yes. There is no restriction on getting married in Australia if you are travelling on a tourist visa.
Do I need travel insurance for Australia?
Health insurance is a pre-requisite to obtaining an Australia visa. All applicants of Australia visa need to have a valid travel health insurance before they can get a visa to travel to Australia.
Is healthcare free in Australia for tourists?
Healthcare is free only for Australian citizens. Tourists need valid health insurance or travel insurance to not end up spending a fortune by availing medical facilities in Australia.
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