Guide To Australian Tourist Visa For Indians

Scoring an Australian Tourist Visa as an Indian is quite an elaborate process. The good news is that now you can apply for your Australian visa online! You don’t have to go anywhere to queue up for your turn. You can do it from home.  

I have been through the visa process for Australia twice in my life so far. Thus, I have gained a lot of experience and knowledge in terms of how to go about applying for a tourist visa for Australia or for that matter any other country (I have also gone through the process of applying for a Schengen visa), and how to make sure that you get it without delay.

Also read: 10 Tips To Prepare For An International Trip

Tourist visa for Australia can get delayed. When I visited Australia in 2011, I was single and had a job, while in 2017, I was married and a freelancer. My visa took almost a month to arrive in both the scenarios. So, you got to be aware of that before you contemplate a trip to Australia. There are a lot of factors to consider, which I’m going to talk about in this post.

Guide To Australian Tourist Visa For Indians – The checklist you need to follow

Australia tourist visa documents for Indians

First things first, get your documents in place. Go to the vfsglobal website, which is the official place to apply for your visa. You need to create an Immi Account to be able to submit your visa application online.  

Make sure you read all the information related to your visa carefully and follow the instructions. Check the Australia visa type for Indians and the list of documents required for your type of visa – Visitor visa (subclass 600).

Make sure you attach each and every document required to support any query that the embassy might have about you. You should not leave room for any kind of doubt or question about your profile. They want to be sure that you will exit Australia on time and return to India. So, your cover letter and documents should indicate that clearly.

The documents you need to attach with your Australia visa application:

• Your passport. It should be valid for the next 6 months.
• At least one of your national identity documents, such as Adhar Card, Pan Card or Driver’s License.
• Bank statements for the last 6 months: Your bank statements should reflect consistent funds in your account. Start putting large sums of money in your account at least 3 months in advance when you have decided to travel to Australia. The amount should not pop up suddenly just when you are applying for the visa. The embassy wants to know how self-sufficient you are, financially.

So, if you think your account doesn’t have hefty funds, ask your spouse, sibling or a friend to transfer funds in your account, which you can return after your application is processed.

• Attach your income tax returns if applicable.
• Employment letter with company’s letterhead: If you have a job, you need to include your employment letter showing that you have a permanent job in India, and you are not going to Australia to search for one.
• Pay slips for the last 6 months.
• Leave approval letter: Attach your leave approval letter signed by your boss, the highest authority.
• Bank statements for the last 6 months of the other people who are supporting you in your travel, such as your spouse (attach their pay slips as well) or your parents if you are single.
• If you own a property in India, attach legal papers of that as well.
• If someone is sponsoring your stay in Australia, attach an invitation letter from them, along with their employment letter, pay slips and bank statements.
• If you are invited by your friends or family who have obtained a permanent residence of Australia, attach a copy of that as well.
• Attach any document that shows you need to return to India after your Australia trip: it could be a wedding invitation, tickets for an upcoming domestic trip, etc.
• Attach copies of your previous visa grant letters and stamps on your passport. It’s absolutely fine if it’s your first international trip and you don’t have any previous travel proofs to show. It’s just an additional document that makes your application stronger.

The documents I attached as a freelancer:

• Details about my profile and the nature of my work in the cover letter.
• Copies of previous visa stamping pages on my passport that show my adherence to timely exit from all countries that I had visited.
• My media kit.
• My business card.

The idea is to attach everything you have for your support.

Write a detailed cover letter to support your application

Now comes the most important part – the cover letter. The way you craft your cover letter is going to play a big role in the processing of your visa. Make sure you mention everything clearly and truthfully in your cover letter – the purpose and duration of your trip, your detailed travel itinerary, your employment details, your financial details, and the reason why you need to return to India after your vacation in Australia is over.

If you are visiting Australia to attend a family event, such as a wedding, baby shower or a birthday, mention about it along with the documents to support it. Mention all the details about the person who’s hosting or sponsoring you in Australia. Make sure whatever you write in your cover letter has a document to support it.

Besides, you should paint a picture of your professional and personal commitments in India – your spouse, family, home, work, etc.

Here’s my cover letter that I wrote when I applied for my Australian visa –

Be truthful about your application.

You are more likely of getting your visa rejected if you make any false statements on your application or produce any fake documents. Make sure all your documents are true and valid. Don’t concoct stories. Be confident about your application. If you have not given the embassy any chance of doubt, your visa will arrive!

The embassy wants to be sure that they grant visa to genuine people who want to visit their country for no other purpose but tourism. If you have other motives behind your visit, please choose appropriate visa type for the same.

Australia tourist visa from India processing time – 75% of applications take 17 days, while 90% of applications take 28 days to get processed.

Australia tourist visa fees from India – AUD145

Should you book your air tickets and hotel before you apply for your visa?

NO. Australian embassy discourages you to make any bookings till the time your visa application is processed. There’s no requirement to show any proof of any sort of booking – air tickets or accommodation. You can mention your tentative travel dates on the application and complete it.  

Yes, a lot of countries do ask you to attach all your booking documents along with your application, but not Australia. So, get going with your bookings only after your visa has arrived.    

How to avoid the delay in your visa?

First and foremost, consider the time you choose to travel to Australia. There are specific seasons when your visa applications take longer than usual to get processed. Like in my case, I chose to travel to Australia in June, which is one of the peak travel times for most people. Thus, my visa got delayed.

The good idea is to plan ahead, at least 2 months in advance. When you have time in your hand, you can plan your trip better, browse for affordable air tickets and get the best deal out of everything.

Also, make sure that you have filled your visa application thoroughly without any error, and all your documents are in place. The embassy doesn’t have time to attend to an incomplete application. They are most likely to keep your application aside and process the ones that came after yours. Why would you let that happen?

Should you visit Australia right now?

Hell yes! One of the ways you can help Australia recover from its ‘bushfire’ crisis is by traveling to its unaffected destinations. Yes, not all destinations are under the impact of bushfire. Visit Australia Tourism’s official website to find out the list of destinations, which are safe to travel.

Australia is a huge country with so much to offer. However, it’s always advisable to read travel restrictions/news before you plan an international travel.

Note: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, visa applications are suspended temporarily. Kindly check for updates on VFS GLobal for latest travel advisory.

Also read: A Photo Guide On Melbourne – Top Things To Do

Is Australia on your travel bucket-list?

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