The online visitor visa process will provide services like e-payment, live status check of application and ease of access.
Wth Australia becoming an increasingly popular holiday destination, the Australian government has announced that Indian visitors can now apply for a visitor’s visa online. The online visa facility, which seeks to streamline and fasten the visa approval process, will start functioning from July 1.
Benefits of this facility
Users will have to create an ImmiAccount on the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) department’s portal (http://online.immi.gov.au).
The account will offer several one-stop facilities like easy access, e-payments for visa application charge, status-check of the lodged application, etc. One of the major supplementary benefits is that the real-time tracking will help people plan their visits better, book their flights and travel arrangements with more certainty and much in advance — that might even save some money. The move comes after several cases of delays in obtaining visitor visas for Australia and it would seem this facility will do more to address the issue.
Till April this year, the DIPB had granted around 65,000 visitor visas to Indians. PTI quoted Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Alex Hawke as saying: “Indian nationals wishing to visit Australia will soon be able to apply for a visitor visa in a more convenient and accessible manner.”
He said the online process would make applying for Australian visitor visas more convenient and it would also enhance the visitor experience for Indians.
“Online lodgement for visitor visa applications is a significant enhancement that will benefit Indian applicants seeking to visit Australia as tourists or business visitors, or those wanting to reconnect with family and friends,” Hawke said.
DIBP says the rising popularity of Australia as a holiday destination has been seen from Indians and thereby there has been a substantial increase in the demand for Australian visas by Indians.
(With PTI inputs)
