Visitor Visa Australia (Subclass 600)
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If you’re coming to Australia for a holiday, to see family, or for a business event, you’ll usually need a valid visitor visa before you travel. Plenty of visitor visa applications are simple, but some run into complications where an experienced registered agent really helps. This page explains the subclass 600 streams, what the Department looks for, the conditions attached to the visa, and what it costs.
Our registered visitor visa agents in Melbourne help applicants worldwide with subclass 600 applications. We look at your situation before you lodge and put together an application that answers the Department’s main concerns properly.
What Is the Subclass 600 Visitor Visa?
The subclass 600 is Australia’s main short-stay visa, for tourism, visiting friends or family, or short-term business. It’s usually granted for stays of up to three, six or twelve months, depending on your circumstances and what the Department thinks is appropriate. A visitor visa doesn’t let you work in Australia. It’s strictly for the purpose you stated in your application, and working on one risks cancellation and restrictions on future applications. If you hold an eligible passport, you might instead be able to use an electronic option like the ETA (subclass 601) or eVisitor (subclass 651), but for most nationalities the subclass 600 is the visa to apply for.
Visitor Visa Streams
Australian Visitor Visa Requirements
The Department of Home Affairs’ main concern with visitor visa applications is whether you’re a genuine visitor who will leave before the visa expires. To work that out, they look at your personal and financial circumstances, your travel history, your ties to home (your job, family and property), and the purpose and length of your visit.
Past visa refusals, overstays in Australia or elsewhere, or weak ties to home can all count against you. On the other side, steady employment, owning property, family commitments at home and a clean travel record all help. Refusal rates vary a lot by nationality, so how you present the application matters more for some applicants than others.
Applications for elderly parents visiting their children in Australia are one area where professional advice makes a real difference. They tend to get closer scrutiny, so presenting them well from the start matters. If your parents are looking at longer-term options too, our parent visa page covers those. We go through your full situation before you lodge and advise you on how to present the application as strongly as possible.
Visitor Visa Conditions
A visitor visa comes with conditions you need to understand before you travel. The most important is that you can’t work. There are also two conditions worth checking on your grant letter.
Condition 8503, No Further Stay, is attached to many visitor visas. If it’s on yours, you can’t apply for most other visas while you’re in Australia, so you’d need to leave before it expires, and it can only be waived in limited circumstances. Condition 8558 limits you to no more than twelve months in Australia in any eighteen-month period, so you can’t live here on rolling visitor visas. Breaching a condition can lead to cancellation and a ban on future visas, so it’s worth being clear on what applies to you before you arrive.
Visitor Visa 600 Health Insurance
One thing applicants often overlook is health cover. It isn’t mandatory for every nationality, but we strongly recommend it for all visitors. Australia doesn’t have reciprocal health care agreements with most countries, so without private health insurance you could face large out-of-pocket medical costs if you need treatment while you’re here.
If you’re visiting from a country with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with Australia, you may get some Medicare benefits while you’re here. That won’t cover everything, though, so private travel or health insurance for your whole visit is still worth having. We’ll talk you through what applies to your nationality and circumstances.
Visitor Visa Fees
The application charge for the Tourist stream is currently around AUD 200 for most applicants applying from outside Australia, and higher (around AUD 500) if you apply from within Australia, with extra charges for any secondary applicants. The Department sets these fees and they change from time to time, so check the current figure on the official Visa Pricing Estimator before you apply. The charge is non-refundable, even if the application is refused. We’ll confirm the fees that apply to you and what else to budget for, and you can see how we charge for our own work on our fees page.
Visitor Visa Processing Time
Processing times vary widely, mostly depending on your nationality, your stream and how complete your application is. Straightforward Tourist stream applications from lower-risk countries can be decided in a few days to a couple of weeks, while Sponsored Family applications, and applications from higher-scrutiny countries, can take a couple of months or more. The safest approach is to apply well ahead of your travel dates, ideally a month or two before, and to lodge a complete application so the Department doesn’t have to come back to you for more.
When Does It Help to Use a Registered Agent?
Not every visitor visa application needs professional help. If you have a clean visa history, strong ties to home and a simple reason for travelling, you may be fine applying on your own.
There are situations, though, where a registered agent noticeably improves your chances: a previous visa refusal or overstay, applications for elderly parents or relatives where the genuine visitor requirement gets close scrutiny, a complicated financial situation, or a case where you need to apply quickly and can’t afford to get it wrong. If you’ve already had a refusal, our visa refusal and appeals page explains your options.
We’ll look at your situation honestly and tell you upfront whether professional help is likely to make a real difference. When you’re ready, book a free assessment and we’ll let you know where you stand.
Visitor Visa FAQs
No. The subclass 600 doesn’t allow paid work or providing services to an Australian business. Working on one can lead to cancellation and a ban on future visas. If you want to work, you’d need a work visa, such as a working holiday or employer-sponsored visa.
Most visitor visas are granted for three or six months per visit, with twelve months possible if you have strong ties to home. Your grant letter sets your exact stay, and condition 8558 usually limits you to no more than twelve months in any eighteen-month period.
The Tourist stream charge is currently around AUD 200 for most applicants applying from outside Australia, and higher if you apply onshore. It’s non-refundable, so check the current figure and get your application right before you lodge.
It’s a condition attached to many visitor visas that stops you applying for most other visas while you’re in Australia. If it’s on your visa, you have to leave before it expires. It can only be waived in limited circumstances, so check your grant letter carefully.
It’s not mandatory for every nationality, but we strongly recommend it. Australia doesn’t have reciprocal health care agreements with most countries, so without cover a medical issue could be very expensive. Even if your country has an agreement, it won’t cover everything.
Yes, usually through the Tourist stream or the Sponsored Family stream. Applications for elderly parents get closer scrutiny on whether they’ll return home, so they’re worth preparing carefully. If they’re considering staying longer term, our parent visa page covers those options.
Sometimes. If your visa doesn’t have condition 8503, you may be able to apply for a further visitor visa, though repeated applications raise concerns about whether you’re really just visiting. If 8503 applies, you’d need to leave and apply again from outside Australia.
