Visitor visas are for those wishing to visit Australia for tourism, to visit friends and family and for certain business activities. Work is not permitted on a visitor visa.
There are 3 types of visitor visa:
• Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) Subclass 601 visa
This visa is for ETA-eligible passport holders and must be applied for through a travel agent. This electronic visa is valid for 12 months and permits multiple stays of up to 3 months per visit. It may be used for tourism, family visits and business visitor activities.
ETA eligible countries are: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong (SAR of China), Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Norway, Portugal, Republic of San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City.
Business visitor activities exclude work but may include business or employment enquiries, negotiation of contracts, attendance at conferences and trade fairs.
• eVisitor Visa Subclass 651
This visa is for ETA-eligible passport holders and must be applied for online. This visa is valid for 12 months and permits multiple stays of up to 3 months per visit. It may be used for tourism, family visits and business visitor activities.
• Visitor visa Subclass 600
This visa permits visits of up to 3, 6 or 12 months and may be applied for under the tourist stream, the business stream, the frequent traveller stream and the sponsored family stream.