Can my parents come and visit me?

Usually on a Visitor visa, subclass 600. There is a Tourist stream they can apply for themselves from overseas, and a Sponsored family stream where someone here sponsors the visit — normally a family member who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and the Department may ask that sponsor for a security bond. Visits are granted for three, six or twelve months. If they hold an eligible passport, an Electronic Travel Authority or an eVisitor may be quicker and cheaper than a subclass 600, so check that first.

What does the Department actually look at on a visitor visa?

Whether the visit is genuinely temporary, and whether there is enough money for the stay and for leaving. In practice that means evidence pointing in two directions: funds, through bank statements over about three months, payslips or tax records, or a letter from whoever is hosting and paying; and reasons to go home, such as a job to return to, study underway, immediate family, or property. A thin application from someone with few ties anywhere is the one that gets refused, which is why the invitation letter and the plan for the visit are worth the effort.

Can someone work or study while here on a visitor visa?

No work at all, on any visitor visa, and that includes the business visitor stream, where you may attend meetings and negotiate but may not work or sell goods or services. Some volunteer work is permitted. Short study is limited and depends on the conditions attached to the particular visa. Working on a visitor visa risks the visa itself, so if work is the reason for the trip it is the wrong visa.

Can I come as a visitor and then apply for another visa once I am here?

Sometimes, and it is a worse idea than it sounds. Many visitor visas carry condition 8503, "No further stay", which prevents you applying for most other visas while you are in Australia and is waived only in limited circumstances — so check the grant letter before making any plan that depends on staying. Beyond that, a visitor visa asks you to intend only a temporary stay, so applying for one while actually intending to remain is a problem in its own right and can cost you far more than the trip. If your real plan is to stay, get advice about the visa that matches the plan.

Visitor · subclass 600, 601 and 651

Coming to visit, or bringing family over.

A visitor visa asks one question: will you go home? Everything the Department wants to see follows from that — enough money for the trip, and enough reason to leave at the end of it. Check the passport first, because for some an Electronic Travel Authority is faster and cheaper than a subclass 600 and there is no reason to pay for a visa you do not need.

Talk through a visit What catches people out

Coming to study instead? Student and graduate visas are the other half of this, and they ask you to show the opposite.

Which visitor visa do you need?

Check the passport first. If it is one of the eligible ones, an Electronic Travel Authority or an eVisitor is usually faster and cheaper than a subclass 600, and there is no reason to pay for a visa you do not need.

Each route links to the Department of Home Affairs page for it, where the current charge, the eligible passports and the full criteria are published. Checked 23 August 2026.
Visa	How long	Who it is for
Visitor visa, Tourist stream Subclass 600	Granted for 3, 6 or 12 months	A holiday, a cruise, or visiting family and friends. There is a version for applying from outside Australia and a version for applying while you are here.
Visitor visa, Sponsored family stream Subclass 600	Up to 12 months	Someone here sponsors the visit — usually a family member who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident. The Department may require the sponsor to lodge a security bond.
Visitor visa, Business visitor stream Subclass 600	Up to 3 months	Meetings, conferences and negotiations. You may not work, and you may not sell goods or services.
Electronic Travel Authority Subclass 601	Up to 3 months per entry, over 12 months	For eligible passports only, applied for through the Australian ETA app. There is a service charge for the app and no visa charge. Usually decided immediately.
eVisitor Subclass 651	Up to 3 months per entry, over 12 months	The equivalent for eligible European passport holders, applied for online.

What decides a visitor visa?

Whether the Department believes you will leave. You have to intend only to stay temporarily, and to obey the conditions and the stay period on the visa. You also have to have, or have access to, enough money to support yourself and to leave.

That makes the evidence point in two directions at once — money for the trip, and reasons to go home afterwards. An application from someone with few visible ties anywhere is the one that gets refused, which is why the invitation letter and a plan for the visit are worth the effort rather than being an afterthought.

What the Department names

Itemised personal bank statements over three months, payslips, tax records or term deposits
A letter from the relative or friend you are visiting — your relationship, the purpose and length of the visit, whether you will stay with them, and proof of their funds if they are paying
What you plan to do while you are here
Reasons you will go home: a letter from your employer, evidence you are studying, immediate family at home, a house or other major assets

What catches visitors out?

Four things, and the second one is the expensive one because it is invisible until you read the grant letter properly.

You cannot work

Not "should not" — cannot, on any visitor visa, including the business stream, where you also may not sell goods or services. Some volunteer work is allowed. If work is the point of the trip, this is the wrong visa and using it anyway puts the visa at risk.

Condition 8503 can close the door behind you

A visitor visa may be granted with "No further stay" attached, which means you cannot apply for most other visas while you are in Australia. It can be waived, but only in limited circumstances. Check the conditions on the grant letter before making any plans that depend on staying.

Twelve months in any eighteen

On a visa valid for more than 12 months you may be able to come and go repeatedly, but you cannot be in Australia for more than 12 months in total in any 18-month period.

Your health costs are yours

A visitor is liable for their own healthcare in Australia, and the bills are not small. The Department strongly recommends travel health insurance, and in some cases attaches a condition requiring it.

Questions people ask first

Visiting Australia, answered plainly.

Worth ten minutes before you book a flight.

Whose passport, who is here, how long for, and what the visit is actually about. Jenny will tell you which visa fits and when the honest answer is that it will not be granted as things stand.

About a visit Free visa check

Indicative guidance only, not migration advice. Your details stay private.

Written and checked by Jenny Satya Graha, Registered Migration Agent MARN 0429372. Every requirement and condition on this page was checked against the Department of Home Affairs on 23 August 2026. Criteria and charges are set by the Australian Government and change often. Check the Department's own pages for the Visitor visa, the Electronic Travel Authority and the eVisitor to confirm anything above, including the eligibility requirements that apply to you.