Visitor Visa (Subclass 600)

Subclass 600 Visa Streams

Ozee Migration helps people with all of the following streams covered by Subclass 600:

Tourist Stream (Outside Australia)

This visa stream allows foreigners to travel to Australia for three months to a year for vacations, sightseeing, and leisure.

You can come to visit different sites in the country, travel on a cruise, and even meet family and friends. But you cannot use this visa to conduct business or seek medical care in Australia.

Tourist Stream (Inside Australia)

This stream is available to individuals who are already in Australia but wish to stay longer after their current visa expires.

Many applicants use this visa to extend their family visit or vacation, or to engage in additional tourism activities for up to 12 months. They must, however, meet their current visa requirements at the time of application to qualify.

Family-Sponsored Stream

The Sponsored Family Stream allows individuals to visit Australia temporarily with sponsorship from an eligible family member. The sponsor must usually be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen. 

The visa may allow stays of up to 12 months, depending on the applicant’s circumstances and the Department of Home Affairs assessment. Plus, visa holders can study or train in the country for up to three months, but not work.

Business Visitor Stream

This visa stream allows visitor visa applicants to visit Australia for business-related purposes, such as attending meetings, conferences, or events, and even to partake in official government-to-government visits. It is usually active for three months but rarely for six or twelve months, and can accept single or multiple entries.

This visa stream allows you to review, investigate, negotiate, and sign business contracts during your visit. However, you cannot work or sell products or services to the general public.

Frequent Traveller Stream

This stream is primarily available to citizens of the People’s Republic of China, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam or Timor-Leste. It is strictly granted to these eligible citizens for tourism or business visitor activities. The visa is valid for up to ten years and allows for multiple entries of approximately three months each.

Approved Destination Status Stream

This visa stream allows citizens from certain areas of the People’s Republic of China (excluding SARs) to visit Australia on a tour only when organised by an approved travel agent.

The permitted duration of travel is short, as specified in the visa grant letter. When travelling on a Subclass 600 visa under this stream, you are obliged to remain with the organised tour group while in the country.

Subclass 600 Visa Fees

The fee for the Subclass 600 visa varies by stream:

• Tourist Stream (Outside Australia): AUD200.00
• Tourist Stream (Inside Australia): AUD 500
• Sponsored Family Stream: AUD 200.00
• Business Visitor Stream: AUD 200.00
• Frequent Traveller Stream: AUD 1,480
• Approved Destination Status Stream: AUD 200.00

In addition to the visa fee, you may be required to pay for a medical examination, a police clearance certificate, and a sponsorship bond (if requested), among other costs.

Requirements For A Visitor Visa

Here are some requirements you must meet in order to truly qualify for the Subclass 600 Visa:

Valid Passport

This is a must! You must hold a valid passport during the application and decision process.

Genuine Temporary Entrant Requirement

You need to actually prove that you are visiting Australia temporarily for genuine reasons, like travel, a family visit, or business. Besides, you intend to return home after your stay. To verify this, the immigration department will look into your employment status, financial situation, past travel experiences, immigration history, and more.

Financial Capacity

The department would like to verify that you have enough funds to cover your trip, which often includes accommodation, daily expenses, travel costs, and much more.

Health Requirements

Depending on the circumstances, applicants may be required to undergo a medical examination, complete a health declaration, and more to prove that they meet health standards for their visit.

Character Requirements

Some applicants may be required to demonstrate character standards by providing police clearance certificates or a character declaration.

Validity of Subclass 600 Visa

Examine the validity of the Subclass 600 Visa for various streams:

Tourist Stream (Outside Australia)

• Usually valid for 3, 6, or 12 months
• Single or multiple entries may be granted

Tourist Stream (Inside Australia)

• Usually valid for up to 12 months
• Entry depends on the applicant’s circumstances and current visa conditions

Sponsored Family Stream

• Usually valid for 3, 6, or 12 months
• Stay period decided by the Department of Home Affairs

Business Visitor Stream

• Generally valid for up to 3 months per visit
• Multiple entries may be available in some cases

Frequent Traveller Stream

• Valid for up to 10 years
• Maximum stay of 3 months per visit

Approved Destination Status Stream

• For the period mentioned in the grant letter

Note: The exact validity of the visa is dependent upon the applicant’s circumstances and the Department of Home Affairs’ evaluation.

Visa Processing Time

Here is the current processing time for the subclass 600 visa as per the different streams:

Tourist Stream

• 50% of applications: around 13 days
• 90% of applications: around 29 days

Business Visitor Stream

• 50% of applications: around 6 days
• 90% of applications: around 23 days

Sponsored Family Stream

• 50% of applications: around 38 days
• 90% of applications: around 79 days

Note:

• These timelines just provide an approximate idea of how long it typically takes to process a visa.
• They change from time to time by the Australian Department of Home Affairs without prior notice.
• The exact time for visa processing can vary based on a number of factors, including the completeness of the application, document verification, unique circumstances, peak application periods, and more.

For more details, check the visa processing time guide tool.

Benefits of a Subclass 600 Visa

Here are the reasons why the Visitor visa is a popular choice worldwide for people wishing to visit Australia for a short period:

• Choose from multiple visa streams based on travel purpose, including Tourist, Sponsored Family, and Business Visitor streams.
• Spend three months to a year exploring Australia’s landscapes, cities, and culture.
• Smooth path to reunite with family and friends living in Australia.
• Enjoy flexible stay options if you are granted a single-entry or multiple-entry visa.
• Complete liberty to join business meetings, conferences, seminars, etc in Australia.
• Ideal for short-term tourism, cruise holidays, and temporary family visits without the need to go through permanent migration.
• Eligible applicants can even receive longer visa validity periods

Subclass 600 Visa Conditions

Here are some of the conditions you need to abide by when visiting on a visitor visa:

• As per Condition 8101, you cannot work in Australia under any circumstances.
• According to Condition 8201, you can study or train for just 3 months.
• If Condition 8503 is applied, you cannot apply for most other visas while in Australia.
• You must depart Australia before your visa expires to avoid breaches.
• You are expected to cover your own medical and hospital expenses during your stay.
• You must only engage in tourism, visiting family/friends, or permitted business visitor activities.