The visitor visa (subclass 600) lets you come to Australia temporarily for tourism, to visit family, or for business visitor activities (attending conferences or meetings, not working).
Is this your situation?
You want to visit Australia and you are not sure which stream to apply for, or you have been refused a visitor visa before and want to try again. Or you are already in Australia on a visitor visa and you want to extend your stay or apply for a different visa, but your visa has condition 8503.
Visitor visa streams
The Tourist stream is for holidays and visiting friends or family. The Business Visitor stream covers attending conferences, negotiating contracts, and other business activities that do not involve working for an Australian business. The Sponsored Family stream requires an Australian relative to sponsor you and provide a bond, with longer stay periods available. The Frequent Traveller stream is for people who visit regularly and want a visa valid for up to 10 years.
The condition 8503 trap
Many visitor visas come with condition 8503, the "no further stay" condition. If your visa has this condition, you cannot apply for most other visas while you are in Australia.
This catches many people off guard. They come to Australia on a visitor visa intending to later apply for a partner or student visa, only to find the 8503 condition prevents it. If you are planning to apply for another visa after arriving, check whether your visitor visa has 8503 before you travel. If it does, see our condition 8503 waiver page.
Why visitor visas get refused
The Department is not satisfied you will leave before the visa expires. You do not have enough funds to support yourself. You have an immigration history that concerns the Department (previous overstays, visa cancellations, or refusals). The purpose of your visit does not match what you have stated.
If your visitor visa has been refused, contact us before reapplying. Simply lodging the same application again without addressing the refusal reasons wastes your money.
How Robbie Toor (MARN 1170356) helps
Robbie assists with visitor visa applications, extensions, and condition 8503 waiver requests. He can also advise on what to do if your visitor visa has been refused.