The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) have released figures which offer an insight into the current state and use of Australia’s Visitor Visa program. 

The inaugural Visitor Visa Program – Quarterly Report provides data about Australia’s Visitor Visas for the June 2011 quarter. The report contains information on visa applications, grants arrivals and processing times, and also provides a point of comparison between figures from the 2010-11 program year and those from the 2009-10 year.

DIAC has stated that the aim of this report is to increase accountability, openness, and accessibility to statistics regarding Australia’s Visitor Visa program, and expects it will be of particular interest to Australia’s tourism industry. 

The data contained in this report is sourced from DIAC visa processing and recording systems, used to document the use of this program up until June 2011. 

Australian Visitor Visas

Australia’s Visitor Visa program consists of two separate streams - Tourism and Business.  These two streams are made up of nine Visitor visa subclasses.  Please see our Australian Visitor Visa – Quick Guide for specific information on some of the more frequently used Visitor visa subclasses.

To be eligible for any Australian Visitor visa, applicants must demonstrate that they genuinely intend to stay in Australia temporarily for business or tourism purposes, and that they can financially support themselves while visiting Australia. Applicants will also need to meet certain health and character requirements.

Tourist visas do not allow the holder to undertake paid work while they are in Australia. Business Visitor visas, however, may in very limited circumstances, allow the holder to undertake paid work while they are in Australia provided they don’t work for longer than 6 weeks and the work performed is of a highly specialised nature.  

Generally, both Tourism and Business Visitor visas will allow the holder the study in Australia for a period of up to 3 months. For Business Visitor visas, the holder may only undertake informal study which is related to their profession and does not lead to a formal award. 

Australia’s Visitor Visa Program - Recent Trends

Figures from the Visitor Visa Program – Quarterly Report show that Visitor visa grants in Australia increased by an overall 2.8% in the 2010-11 program year compared to the 2009-10 program year. From January 2011 to June 2011, a record 1.6 million visitor visas were issued, which is 15% higher than the previous year (1.4 million). 

The data indicates that this rise can be at least partially attributed to the growth in business ties between Australia and China over the 2010-11 program year. This is reflected by a 31.8% rise in Visitor Visas granted to Chinese citizens during that time. There was also a 16.2% increase in Visitor Visas granted to Malaysian citizens.

Visitor Visa applications from British citizens increased over the April – June 2011 quarter, with Business Visitor Visa applications up by 11.2%, and Tourism visa applications up by 10%.

The June 2011 quarter saw the highest number of lodgments for the Business (Short Stay)(Subclass 456) visa for the past 5 years. There were 54, 552 applications lodged for this visa subclass. 

The report also demonstrates a significant increase in Approved Destination Scheme (ADS) visa grants.  This is a subcategory of Australia’s Tourist (Subclass 679) visa, and is primarily accessed by Chinese travel agents organizing holidays to Australia for clients from the People’s Republic of China.  

ADS approvals constituted a total of 110,609 visa grants in the 2010-11 program year, which is the highest number of ADS visa grants approvals in the last four years. 

Overall, the percentage of Visitor visas granted by Australia has remained stable in the 2010-11 year, with 97.3% of all Visitor Visa applications being approved by DIAC. This is a slight decline from the previous program year, in which 97.7% of Visitor Visa applications were successful.

There was a significant decline in the grant rate for the Sponsored Family Visitor visa (Subclass 679). Application grants for this Visitor Visa decreased from a 74.4% approval rate in the last six months of the 2009-10 program year, to a 55% approval rate in the last six months of the 2010-11 program year. The report suggests this decline is likely due to DIACs increased scrutiny of applications and referrals to posts.

Visitor Visa Summary

The data provided in the inaugural Visitor Visa Program – Quarterly Report suggests that Australia continues to be an increasingly popular destination for overseas citizens, both for tourism and business purposes. 

Significantly, there has been increased scrutiny by DIAC regarding visa grants, which highlights the importance of obtaining qualified advice before submitting an Australian Visitor Visa application. 

Haag Walker Lawyers can provide you with professional and effective advice regarding your Australian Visitor Visa application.