Travel to Australia

Australia visas available for more Europeans

2008-06-23T11:07:55+02:00

Australia is now near to having full reciprocal visa arrangements with citizens of the most recently elected members of the European Union (EU) after announcing improved electronic visa services.

Andrew Metcalfe, secretary of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, said that the majority of tourist visa applicants from Bulgaria, Poland and Romania could have their visas processed on-line in minutes.

The ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) visa has been available to citizens of eligible countries throughout the world for a number of years and, by extending this facility to all tourists from EU nations, it will bring Australia nearer to a reciprocal arrangement with the EU where tourists can visit on a short-term business. Currently an ETA visitor visa lasts for up to a year and allows visitors to enter Australia for up to 3 months in any one visit.

To further enhance security and immigration risk screening, October will see the introduction of a new on-line service to help streamline the processing of visas for both tourists and those visiting Australia on short-term business. This will involve advances in the technology currently being used and also help eliminate the necessity of completing application forms.

In making entry into Australia simpler for a further million visitors from the EU each year not only enhances cultural links but helps grow tourism to Australia and makes business relationships that much easier with Australia’s biggest partner in trade.

The introduction in October of the e-visitor service adds to the progress already having been made in this new era of close co-operation between Australia and the European Union.

Electronic visa services are available on-line at Instant Travel Visa.

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Australia needs more workers!

2008-06-09T15:22:34+02:00

Visas to Australia have been increased by 300,000 in Australia’s labour party budget for 2008-09 in a bid to reduce the shortage of labour in Australia.

This increase in Australian visas was revealed by Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan and is the biggest yearly increase ever of permanent and temporary visas in Australia’s migration programme.

The increase in Australian visas allows for an extra 31,000 skilled migrant visas, and more than 150,000 other permanent migrant visas to Australia such as family and spouse visas, plus 100,000 new temporary work visas. It is a move expected to help address the shortage of skilled workers in Australia. In addition, training and education initiatives have been introduced to help this skills shortage.

The immigration minister for Australia, Senator Chris Evans, said that in his view Australia was not only facing a skills shortage but also a labour shortage. He went on to explain that the labour shortage was being experienced in every industry and not just in the fields needing skilled and professional workers. Industries such as truck drivers, store managers and lower class jobs in mining are examples of where the shortages are being experienced.

For those thinking about moving to Australia, there has never been a better time or more opportunities than there is today.

The best way to find out about whether a move to Australia is for you, why not get an online travel visa to Australia and go see what it’s all about.

For more information go to www.immi.gov.au

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Online Australian immigration database now available

2008-06-08T23:12:57+02:00

Social historians and people interested in the family ancestry will now be able to access information about millions of British people who emigrated from the UK to Australia in the late 19th and early 20th century, in search of a new life.

Ancestry.co.uk has amassed details of 8.9 million free settlers or legal immigrant workers to Australia, which includes approximately 2.2 million Britains.

Early Australia settlers are often thought of as the convict population, whereas many immigrants travelled to, and settled in Australia of their own free will. They often endured long arduous ship journeys and suffered hardships when they arrived. Nevertheless they settled, and populated the Australian continent building a modern country with a strong sense of identity.

The Australian population increased above one hundred times from 1826 to 1922 mostly due to immigration and a fast rising economy.

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Strict penalties for breaching the conditions of Australian visas

2008-06-08T23:10:03+02:00

Visitors who have stayed longer in the country than their Australian visa allows, or people who have had their Australian visa cancelled because they are in breach of the conditions, have no rights to stay in Australia and must leave.

They may be held by the Australian authorities and deported, as soon as arrangements can be made.

In some instances, people who have overstayed their visa can gain a temporary Australian visa, allowing them to make travel arrangement to leave Australia or apply for another type of visa.

Overstayers can be given temporary lawful status through the grant of a bridging visa.

This allows them to make arrangements for their departure from Australia, or to seek a further visa, if eligible.

Visitors to Australia who stay longer than 28 days after their visa expires, will not be allowed to gain a further temporary Australian visa for a period the three years. This condition enforcement will apply, whether or not the overstayer leaves of his own free will or not.

Any debts incurred by the Commonwealth of Australia, taking account of costs incurred for deportation and detention of the overstayer, would also have to be repaid before any further visa be granted.

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Growth in Australian tourism is highest since 1999

2008-05-07T23:09:57+02:00

Gross revenue from tourism has seen its largest increase in Australia since 1998-99.

The value has increased by 7.9% to $32,306 million and there has been a similar percentage growth in the economy as a whole, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Australians spending the tourist dollar within Australia has increased by 6.8% to $63 billion whilst revenue from tourists outside Australia is up by 9.8% to $22 billion.

As a percentage share of Australia's gross domestic product (GDP), tourism stayed unchanged from the previous year at 3.7%, indicating there has been a similar rate of growth to the Australian economy as a whole.

The inception of the Tourism Satellite Account, allows statistical information to measure the financial effect of the tourism industry on the Australian economy, by calculating the demand for supply of tourism products from Australian and international business and leisure visitors.

There were 482,800 people employed in the tourism industry in Australia in 2006-07, which was up on 2005/6 by 1.1%.

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Australians just love to cruise...official!

2008-05-05T19:18:42+02:00

The International Cruise Council of Australasia has just released figures showing that the number of Australians who took a cruise last year was 263,435, more than ever before.

160,947 of these took cruises around Australia and New Zealand whilst 23,900 took Asia cruises. Those who cruised Europe and Canada/Alaska amounted to about 42,000 with this figure being equally split.

Richard Cranmer, the chairman of the council, confirmed that these figures represented a rise in cruise passengers for the fifth consecutive year since records began in 2002.

Interestingly those Australians taking an Ocean cruise amounted to over 250,000
whereas more than 10,000 took a long-haul trip to experience a European river cruise.

The overall figure represents a 14% growth in the number of Australians taking a cruise compared to the record 11% growth in the UK market and the 4.6% in the U.S. Market.

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Changes to Australian ETA Visa System announced from April 2008

2008-05-02T22:16:36+02:00

The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship has announced changes to the Electronic Travel Authority System (ETAS) to take effect from 21st April 2008.
April 2008.

The changes will mean most ETA applications will be unaffected and instant processing will continue as normal. A minority of cases however, will require extra processing increasing the time required to grant ETA visas.
If issuing does not take place immediately, applicants or their agents will need to re-check the status of the ETA visa application after 12 hours, to confirm whether or not it has been granted.

For those wishing to travel to Australia with an ETA visa, sufficient time for processing should be allowed.

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Superyacht crews to get new dedicated visa to work in Australia

2008-05-02T20:06:56+02:00

Senator Chris Evans, the Australian Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, has announced that there will be a new visa available for the crew of privately owned and commercial super-yachts as from October 2008.

The Rudd Government’s election promise and pledge, to help tourism in such places as the Australian state of Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef area, will materialise in part, in the form of a new visa class enabling the crews of super-yachts to work in Australia.

The new multiple entry visas will allow commercial or privately owned super-yacht crews to work in Australia for up to twelve months. Senator Evans stated that the new multiple entry visas will let super-yacht crews work in Australia.

The niche but growing super-yacht tourism business in Australia will be greatly assisted by the inception of the new visa, which will come into effect as from October 2008.

Existing Australian visa’s such as the Business Long visa (457) and the Maritime Crew Visa have been inadequate to cover super-yacht crews and this has inhibited growth in this Australian tourism sector.

As from 1st May 2008 and as a temporary measure, super-yacht crews wishing to work in Australia will be able to apply for the Business Short Stay (456) visa, which is normally only appropriate for Australian visitors flying into the country and staying for less than three months.

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