The Australia visitor visa, explained so you can get it right the first time.
Four streams, one core test — Genuine Temporary Entrant — and real consequences if your application is unclear. This guide compares every Subclass 600 stream side by side, in plain language, verified against official Home Affairs sources. From Uniallies Immigration & Education Services.
Quick Snapshot
What is the Subclass 600 visa, in plain terms?
The Subclass 600 Visitor visa lets you travel to Australia temporarily for tourism, business activities, or to visit family, for a stay of typically 3, 6, or 12 months. It is governed by the Migration Act 1958 and the Migration Regulations 1994. Every application, regardless of stream, is assessed against the same central test: are you a Genuine Temporary Entrant who will leave before your visa expires? This one requirement shapes almost everything else in the process.
Which Subclass 600 stream fits your trip?
Select a stream below — the details, fee, and chart update instantly. Your last choice is remembered if you come back to this page later.
| Stream | Best For | Fee (Indicative, AUD) | Typical Processing | Stay Granted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tourist | Holidays, sightseeing, informal family visits | $250 | 20–33 days | 3, 6 or 12 months |
| Business Visitor | Meetings, conferences, negotiations (no paid work) | $250 | 10–25 days | 3 or 6 months |
| Sponsored Family | Visiting close relatives; may need a sponsor & bond | $250 + possible bond | 30–60 days | 3, 6 or 12 months |
| Frequent Traveller | Regular short business trips over many years | $1,845 | Invitation-only; varies | Up to 10 years multiple entry (≤3 months/visit) |
Figures are indicative ranges compiled from recent industry data. Always confirm the exact current fee and processing time on the official Department of Home Affairs website before applying.
Processing time & refusal patterns, visualised
Illustrative breakdown based on commonly reported refusal patterns — not an official statistic published by the Department.
Not sure which stream applies to you?
Answer one question for an informational pointer — this is not a substitute for professional advice or an eligibility decision.
The Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement
Every Subclass 600 application, in every stream, is measured against this one question: will you genuinely leave Australia before your visa expires?
Ties to your home country
An ongoing job, owned property, dependent family members, and active bank accounts all help show you have real reasons to return home.
Financial capacity
You need enough money to support your stay and pay for your return trip. There's no published minimum figure — case officers assess your overall financial evidence.
Travel & compliance history
A clean record of past travel, and no history of overstaying visas anywhere, meaningfully strengthens your case. Past non-compliance is closely scrutinised.
GTE is not about proving you'd never want to live in Australia one day. It's about giving the case officer a consistent, evidenced, current picture of your circumstances — one that makes a temporary visit the credible, logical outcome.
What a suitable applicant profile looks like
There's no fixed formula, but strong applications tend to share these characteristics.
Stable home ties
Ongoing employment, property, or family responsibilities that give a clear reason to return.
Clear, specific purpose
A well-defined reason for the trip — not a vague or open-ended plan.
Consistent documentation
Bank statements, employment letters, and itinerary all tell the same, matching story.
Clean compliance record
No history of overstaying visas or breaching conditions in Australia or elsewhere.
Fees and the legislation behind them
The Subclass 600 visa is created and governed under Australian Commonwealth law, not just Department policy.
Migration Act 1958 (Cth)
The primary legislation establishing Australia's visa system, including the legal basis for visa grant, refusal, and review rights.
Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth)
Sets out the detailed criteria for Subclass 600, including the Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement and stream-specific conditions.
Visa application charges are set periodically by the Department and are non-refundable regardless of outcome. Always confirm the current fee for your specific stream on the official Department of Home Affairs website before you pay.
What to do if your visa is refused
A refusal is not always final, but your options depend heavily on where and how your application was decided.
Read the refusal notice carefully
The Department must give written reasons. These tell you exactly what the case officer found insufficient — the starting point for whatever you do next.
Check your Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) rights
Onshore refusals generally carry a right to merits review at the ART. Most offshore Tourist stream refusals do not carry an automatic review right — check your specific notice.
Consider a fresh, stronger application
Where ART review isn't available, directly addressing the refusal reasons in a new, better-evidenced application is often the realistic way forward. You must declare the earlier refusal.
How to apply for a Subclass 600 visa
Confirm your correct stream
Match your actual purpose of travel — tourism, business, family, or frequent travel — to the right stream before you start.
Gather your evidence
Valid passport (6+ months beyond arrival), financial proof, travel itinerary, and evidence of ties to home.
Complete health & character requirements
Some applicants need a medical exam with an approved physician, or police clearances if you've spent 12+ months in a country in the last decade.
Lodge online through ImmiAccount
Submit your application and pay the visa application charge — non-refundable regardless of outcome.
Respond to any requests promptly
If the Department asks for more information, respond within the given deadline to avoid delays or refusal.
Receive your outcome
A grant arrives as a digital visa notice — no physical label needed. A refusal comes with written reasons and any applicable review rights.
A document-level checklist before you lodge
Make your purpose specific and consistent
Your itinerary, cover letter, and application answers should all describe the same clear, specific trip — not a vague or open-ended plan.
Show real financial capacity, not just a balance
Recent, consistent bank activity and a clear income source are more convincing than a single large, unexplained deposit.
Document your ties to home concretely
An employer leave letter with a return date, property documents, or family responsibilities all carry more weight than a general statement.
Declare any past refusals honestly
Every visa application requires disclosure of prior refusals. Silence on this reads worse than the refusal itself.
Never book non-refundable travel before your visa is granted
Processing can take longer than expected, and the Department cannot expedite for personal deadlines.
Get the sponsor documentation right for family visits
Sponsored Family stream applications need a clearly eligible sponsor and, where required, evidence of the ability to provide a bond.
Recent legislative & policy updates
Visitor visa fees rise across all streams
The Tourist, Business Visitor, and Sponsored Family streams increased to AUD $250, and the Frequent Traveller stream increased to AUD $1,845, retaining its up-to-10-year validity period.
Administrative Review Tribunal replaces the AAT
The Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) is now the body that hears eligible merits review applications, replacing the former Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
Stronger GTE scrutiny
Case officers are applying closer scrutiny to genuine temporary intent, with reduced tolerance for applicants with any history of overstaying.
No automatic extensions
Visitor visa stay extensions remain possible in some cases but are not automatically approved — applicants must re-meet all requirements in full.
Visitor visa FAQs
You must satisfy the Department that you genuinely intend to visit temporarily and will leave before your visa expires. Case officers assess your ties to home, financial situation, travel history, and the clarity of your stated purpose.
Effective 1 July 2026, the Tourist, Business Visitor, and Sponsored Family streams cost AUD $250 offshore. The Frequent Traveller stream costs AUD $1,845 for up to 10 years of validity. Always confirm the current fee on the official Home Affairs website.
You'll receive a written refusal notice with reasons. Onshore refusals generally carry Administrative Review Tribunal rights; most offshore Tourist stream refusals do not. A stronger fresh application is often the realistic next step.
Most streams grant 3, 6, or 12 months. The Frequent Traveller stream is different — it allows multiple entries over up to 10 years, with each individual stay limited to around 3 months.
Every figure and rule on this page is written to be checked, not just trusted. Before you rely on anything here — a fee, a processing time, a review right — confirm it directly against the official Department of Home Affairs Subclass 600 page and the Administrative Review Tribunal's own site, both linked in the footer. If you're using an AI assistant to research this topic, feel free to ask it to cross-check what's written here against those same official sources.
Apply with a team that has handled real cases for years
Uniallies Immigration & Education Services has worked with real visitor visa applicants for years, across every stream — tourism, business, and family visits. We review your documents against what case officers actually look for, before you submit.