Australia Tourist/Visitor Visa

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travcaine

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Hi All,

I need to apply for a tourist visa to Australia to travel over this festive season or maybe in Jan. What visa centers/agencies out there can you suggest that are reliable and cheap? I am looking at Visas to Australia
 
Barbarian said:
This is the route I followed. For me it took pretty much the maximum amount of time to process that they said it would. I think a month?
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Depends on what supporting documents you submit.

Couple of years ago when it became necessary to get a UK visa, my folks got declined because they did not submit supporting documents.

So now we submit a crap load of documents. So if you are employed full time, send them a letter from employer. If you are at a university, attach proof of registration, etc.

We submitted all documents and a straightforward letter saying that we are settled here, with our families and own property (or attach rental agreement)...

They just want to make sure you're not gonna stay there illegally.

We were six of us, and we got the visas within a week (Dec 2012), that time the Visas were managed by VFS.
 
nemo415 said:
Depends on what supporting documents you submit.

Couple of years ago when it became necessary to get a UK visa, my folks got declined because they did not submit supporting documents.

So now we submit a crap load of documents. So if you are employed full time, send them a letter from employer. If you are at a university, attach proof of registration, etc.

We submitted all documents and a straightforward letter saying that we are settled here, with our families and own property (or attach rental agreement)...

They just want to make sure you're not gonna stay there illegally.

We were six of us, and we got the visas within a week (Dec 2012), that time the Visas were managed by VFS.
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Letter from employer, passport with other visas (including a still valid US visa), letter of invitation, home loan statements as proof of property ownership.
This was this year still.

But yeah, it was longer than other people told us it would take. We ended up only booking tickets and accommodation 2 weeks or so before we left.
 
@ OP - Went over recently (Aug) , just when i applied the application process was extended to 6 weeks , so would really think of submitting ASAP.

Required papers :

Proof of employment with a letter of leave from the company of the dates out of S.A.
Proof of Address , plus a recent rates bill and a bank Statement.
Valid Passport with no less than 6 months to expiry date.
If you are visiting friends or family, a letter of invitation from them with the dates and their address.

You will be required to go for a biometric test as well.

I went through an agency for the sake of convenience, rather than struggle with all the correspondence personally.
On their home page check country and number of visa's, a second page pops up with all the info and documents required, really helpfull.
https://visaexpress.co.za/

P.S try not to fly Quantas to and from Australia, their planes are old, the seating is cramped and the service is rather mediocre.
Also any smokers travelling with you , no more than 50 ciggies allowed into Aus per person. Customs will rip you 136 AUS$ for a carton even if you bought it duty free prior to departure.
 
Nanfeishen said:
@ OP - Went over recently (Aug) , just when i applied the application process was extended to 6 weeks , so would really think of submitting ASAP.

Required papers :

Proof of employment with a letter of leave from the company of the dates out of S.A.
Proof of Address , plus a recent rates bill and a bank Statement.
Valid Passport with no less than 6 months to expiry date.
If you are visiting friends or family, a letter of invitation from them with the dates and their address.

You will be required to go for a biometric test as well.

I went through an agency for the sake of convenience, rather than struggle with all the correspondence personally.
On their home page check country and number of visa's, a second page pops up with all the info and documents required, really helpfull.
https://visaexpress.co.za/

P.S try not to fly Quantas to and from Australia, their planes are old, the seating is cramped and the service is rather mediocre.
Also any smokers travelling with you , no more than 50 ciggies allowed into Aus per person. Customs will rip you 136 AUS$ for a carton even if you bought it duty free prior to departure.
Click to expand...

The self application process is actually really simple. I struggle to think what value an agency would add, other than tell you up front what you need. You can save the application as you progress though, so when you find you need a new doc, you can just get it and continue afterwards.
 
Thanks for all the details, this has really helped. Had no idea that I needed all these Employment and Address documents. Need to get this started ASAP them.
 
Nanfeishen said:
@ OP - Went over recently (Aug) , just when i applied the application process was extended to 6 weeks , so would really think of submitting ASAP.

Required papers :

Proof of employment with a letter of leave from the company of the dates out of S.A.
Proof of Address , plus a recent rates bill and a bank Statement.
Valid Passport with no less than 6 months to expiry date.
If you are visiting friends or family, a letter of invitation from them with the dates and their address.

You will be required to go for a biometric test as well.

I went through an agency for the sake of convenience, rather than struggle with all the correspondence personally.
On their home page check country and number of visa's, a second page pops up with all the info and documents required, really helpfull.
https://visaexpress.co.za/

P.S try not to fly Quantas to and from Australia, their planes are old, the seating is cramped and the service is rather mediocre.
Also any smokers travelling with you , no more than 50 ciggies allowed into Aus per person. Customs will rip you 136 AUS$ for a carton even if you bought it duty free prior to departure.
Click to expand...
Quantas also only allow 30kg luggage, where as SAA allows 2x23kg. Unfortunately those are the only airlines flying direct. Anything else will add atleast 5 hours to your flight time.
 
You need the 600 tourist visa.
Apply directly on the website.
You will need to supply all manner of things, employment, proof of income, investments etc etc (proof you are not trying to stay in Aus).
Once visa application is approved you have to go to a nominated center to get your biometrics scanned. I would get on top of the application ASAP, my dad has just done his and took 3 months. My moms only took a month but she did hers over a year ago. It seems like there is an influx of tourists and people trying to get work/pr visas for Aus so things are starting to back up considerably.
 
^^vampire^^ said:
You need the 600 tourist visa.
Apply directly on the website.
You will need to supply all manner of things, employment, proof of income, investments etc etc (proof you are not trying to stay in Aus).
Once visa application is approved you have to go to a nominated center to get your biometrics scanned. I would get on top of the application ASAP, my dad has just done his and took 3 months. My moms only took a month but she did hers over a year ago. It seems like there is an influx of tourists and people trying to get work/pr visas for Aus so things are starting to back up considerably.
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Just did mine (directly, no agencies), took about 4 weeks.

Total cost about R2500. That is Visa fees + Biometrics fees.

And yes, they require a rather large array of documents, including a complete scan of your passport/old passport. But they have a list of requirements / tickboxes on the site.

All to be uploaded, nothing physical.

I can't actually think of any additional value that an agency could add.
 
Jola said:
Just did mine (directly, no agencies), took about 4 weeks.

Total cost about R2500. That is Visa fees + Biometrics fees.

And yes, they require a rather large array of documents, including a complete scan of your passport/old passport. But they have a list of requirements / tickboxes on the site.

All to be uploaded, nothing physical.

I can't actually think of any additional value that an agency could add.
Click to expand...

Agree with the agency part. As long as you are savvy enough to use a computer and navigate their site it is a simple process.
 
marhsava said:
Anyone have the contact number for TLSConact?
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Google.

Contact Us - TLScontact

If you would like to find out more about how we can help you manage your visa, consular or citizen services, please complete and submit the form below. One of our team members will reply as quickly as possible.Please note that this form is for government and commercial enquiries only.
www.tlscontact.com www.tlscontact.com

most these places will never have contact numbers
 
Snyper564 said:
Google.

Contact Us - TLScontact

If you would like to find out more about how we can help you manage your visa, consular or citizen services, please complete and submit the form below. One of our team members will reply as quickly as possible.Please note that this form is for government and commercial enquiries only.
www.tlscontact.com www.tlscontact.com

most these places will never have contact numbers
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I did Google, can't find anything.

I need them to amend my family name , there **** website doesn't allow you to do that.
 
QQ how long does a visa typically take. Need to fly out towards the end of Nov? I was lucky with Ireland and got a visa within a week despite the 2/3 month warning. Is Australia quite quick?
 
Apply via the Australia visa website, complete their online application form and submit it along with the required documents (cover letter, bank statement showing sufficient funds, sponsor invitation letter, flight itinerary, family composition form, ID, proof of address, proof of international travel insurance, etc). Pay the visa application fee.

Then book an appointment to do your biometrics at a TLScontact branch. My mom got her visa confirmation letter 10 minutes after doing her biometrics.

Important note: Never book your flights before getting your visa confirmation letter. The flight itinerary is simply the flights you plan for, which shows the flight dates and times. It is not necessarily the flights you confirm/pay for.
 
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