20 March 2013: Cutting Red Tape for Visitor Visas Tuesday, 12 March 2013 Visitor visas will be simplified and a new short stay activity visa will be rolled out this month as part of the Gillard Government’s commitment to cut red tape. The new visitor visa framework, subject to final approval of the legislation by the Governor-General, builds on the Better Regulation Ministerial Partnership commitment to cut the total number of visa subclasses by up to 50 per cent by 2015. "The Gillard Government is determined to cut red tape and make it easier for visitors to understand which visa they need for a short stay visit or work visa," Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Brendan O'Connor said. The number of visitor visas will be cut from nine to four subclasses and a number of requirements have been standardised. "There will be no change to current visa eligibility for tourism, business visitor activities, sponsored family visits, and medical treatment, and care has been taken to ensure there is no impact on program integrity settings," Mr O'Connor said. The new short stay activity visa enables people to come to Australia to carry out short-term, non-ongoing, highly specialised work, where the skills required are not otherwise readily available. The visa will also allow for the entry of people who are invited from overseas to participate in events. "This new visa is for people who need to come to Australia for highly specialised non-ongoing work on a short-term basis," Mr O'Connor said. "It is not related to the 457 program for temporary skilled visas and the Government remains committed to strengthening the safeguards to ensure the 457 program is not being exploited by unscrupulous employers to the disadvantage of local workers." The visitor visa initiative follows the successful implementation of the simplified skilled and business migration visa group and the simplified temporary work visa group, both of which more than halved the number of subclasses used by the programs. "The finalised settings took into account stakeholder and public responses to the 2011 Making Visitor Visas Simpler discussion paper which outlined the proposed visitor visa framework," Assistant Treasurer and Minister Assisting on Deregulation David Bradbury said. Further details of the new visitor visa group can be found at: www.immi.gov.au/visas/visitor/
	CHANGES TO VISITOR AND TEMPORARY WORK VISAS FROM 23 MARCH 2013.
	From 23 March 2013 the Australian government intends to introduce significant changes to the Visitor and Medical Treatment visas. DIAC will no longer be accepting new applications for the following visas: Tourist visa (subclass 676) Sponsored family visitor visa (subclass 679) Business (short Stay) visa (Subclass 456) Sponsored business visitor (short stay) visa (subclass 459) Medical Treatment (short stay) visa (subclass 675) Medical Treatment (long stay) visa (subclass 685) Electronic Travel Authority (visitor) (subclass 976) Electronic Travel Authority (business – short validity) (subclass 977) Electronic Travel Authority (business – long validity) (subclass 956). Applicants who were previously eligible for the visas listed above may be eligible for one of the following five visa subclasses below. Temporary work (short stay activity) visa (subclass 400) Visitor visa (subclass 600) Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) Medical Treatment visa (subclass 602) eVisitor (subclass 651) For more information see: http://www.immi.gov.au/visas/visitor/
	Changes to Visa Application Charges
	Visa application charges will change on 1 January 2013 in accordance with decisions made by the Australian Government. New charges and fees will apply to any application received on or after 1 January 2013. Your visa application cannot be accepted at the AVAC if incorrect fee is provided. Applicants intending to pay by bank draft or arrange payment through an immigration office in Australia should be aware that the visa fee may change in the time between arranging the payment and lodging your application. Visa Fee changes have been updated accordingly in the website.
	24 May 2012: Modern electronic visa system - Australia’s modern electronic visa system does not require you to have a visa label placed in your passport to confirm your immigration status and entitlements in Australia.
	When you check-in to fly to Australia, airline staff will use your passport to electronically confirm that you have authority to travel to Australia prior to boarding the aircraft. See: About Your Visa (http://www.immi.gov.au/visas/about-your-visa.htm)
	The Australian Government today announced its response to the Student Review conducted by Michael Knight.
	&A press release on the above can be referred to at http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/media/cb/2011/cb172439.htm Mr Knight’s full report, a fact sheet summarizing the Government’s response to the Report and the media release can be found on the department's website here http://www.immi.gov.au/students/knight/
	Introduction of Biometrics Collection
	The Australian Government is introducing biometrics collection into the offshore visa application process. From 8 February 2011 all clients, regardless of nationality, lodging paper-based visa applications in Sri Lanka will need to attend the Australian Visa Application Centre in Colombo in person to lodge their application and provide their biometrics. A 10-digit fingerprint scan and a facial photograph will be collected. For a list of visa subclasses that require biometrics to be collected from visa applicants, see: Inclusions list Some persons are exempt from providing biometrics, for example Heads of State and accredited diplomats. For categories of applicants exempt or excluded from biometric data collection, see: Exemptions and exclusions list Visa applicants who are eligible for and are then granted an electronic visa will not need to provide biometrics. Please note: At this stage clients will not be charged an additional fee for the collection of their biometrics. Applicants under 15 years of age, persons incapable of providing consent, or those physically unable to provide a fingerprint scan, will only need to provide a facial photograph. If an applicant is incapable or less than 18 years of age, a parent or legal guardian will be asked to give consent and be present when biometrics are collected. For more information visit Biometrics Collection Outside Australia Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Your personal identifying information
	Australian Visa Application Centre - new address from 8 February 2011
	The Australian Visa Application Centre in Colombo has moved and is located at: Level 5, Access Towers, 278 Union Place Colombo 2, Sri Lanka.
	Protect Yourself from Migration Fraud
	All visa applicants and potential migrants should be aware of migration scammers and people who may be seeking to take advantage of your circumstances. An information kit on how you may protect yourself may be found at the DIAC website Further information on migration fraud, stories of victims, email and internet scams, and how you may obtain help is also available.