Australian Visa Applications

Australian Visa Applications can be made at VFS Bangkok.

The VFS office is located at:

VFS office working hours are: Monday to Friday between 8:30am and 4:30pm. They are closed for holidays so check local dates!

They will only accept visa applications between 8:30am and 3pm.

The VFS office will only divulge information about the completion of your passport and not whether you have been accepted or refused. Once the passport is ready for collection, your girlfriend must go to the VFS office with the photocopy of the passport with a VFS stamp. The VFS stamp is a necessary requirement to collect the passport and passports can only be collected at 3 o’clock to 4 o’clock in the afternoon.

Lodging a visa application

The VFS office is easily reached by using the sky train (Surasak Station) or taxi. It is located on the 34th floor of the Thai CC Tower. On entering the office you will be greeted by a security office and be asked what you business is. You are then required to put your details into a log book before you are issued a number and allowed to enter. The wait time can vary but it will not be long before you are called to a table. You can use this time to photocopy any required documents that you need to.

Once you are called to the table you application is looked at to make sure that it meets the minimum standards. Just remember that an accepted application has a high likelihood of being approved if the application is well prepared. The process takes between 5 and 10 minutes if you have all the required documents together and no need for further documents.

Track Your visa Application

If  you have already  submitted an application for a Visa at the Australia  Visa Application Centre in  Bangkok you can  track your application by entering your Reference Number and Applicant’s Date of Birth or Airway Bill Number and Applicant’s Date of Birth.

If your visa gets rejected, don’t worry. You will be able to remedy it. But why not make your job easier with this fantastic ebook, that offers up to date, professional advice on all Australian visa matters. A special chapter covers what to do if her visa is rejected…

• Aus Visa Application. What to do if your girlfriend’s visa is rejected.
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Why do so many… visa applications fail?

A  qualified, experienced, Australian Migration Agent spills the beans on why so many applications fail.

Read the full report here…

If you’re looking for information on a tourist visa, a fiancé visa or a spouse visa to bring your loved one home and you’re wondering just why so many DIY applications fail, you’re in the right place!

A qualified, migration agents speaks…

I am an Australian Migration Agent, and I only deal with Partner Migration, which means that I know this area of the law inside and out. With over 10 years experience in this business I have seen many cases and have had numerous clients come to me wanting to bring their Thai girlfriend, or their Indonesian wife, or their Chinese partner back home with them.(Please note that although I generally refer to you and your Thai ‘girlfriend’ as the applicants in this report, I am merely saying this as a shortcut because in most applicants that is the case. Please don’t think, because you are interested in bring your Chinese husband back that this information does not relate to you…!) You can substitute the word ‘girlfriend’ for boyfriend, parent, spouse, husband or wife, if that applies to your situation, and the information contained within stands true for them too.

Why do visa applications fail…?

Many of the people who come to me have initially applied for a visa by themselves, and a large number of these have had their visa applications rejected. In fact the number of rejections is high when an applicant decides to go the visa process alone, and this is often due to several common reasons. In this report I am going to highlight some of these reasons, and indicate the mistakes that people make.

Australian Migration Law

As Australians we already know our country is generally regarded as a great place to live. With its natural beauty, great climate and growing economy it makes for an ideal place to live, work or visit. Most foreigners think so too, and, as such, Australia features high up on the list of desirable places for them to live. Because of this the Australian government has had to put strict migration laws in place, especially when it comes to migrants from certain ‘high-risk’ countries. This doesn’t stop people from those countries from entering Australia, it merely means that they have to do slightly more in their application to prove that they will not overstay their visa conditions and that they can afford to stay there during their visit. So if you are applying on behalf of your foreign girlfriend, wife or partner… the first thing to remember is:

Australian visa law is complex

However, it is important to remember that visa applications are not rejected for arbitrary reasons. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) can only make its decision based on the relevance and quality of the supporting documentation that you provide. If you satisfy your case officer, who is primarily the decision maker in these matters, that you are providing a fully complete and correct application, and that all of the information contained within it abides by the rules and is 100% satisfactory and true then the visa will be granted.

Successful Visa Grant

Each application is unique but it must adhere to the regulations, and it is generally a failure on the part of the applicant to adhere to these that flags the case. Small mistakes in the documentation or on the application form can lead to a visa being delayed or rejected completely. The truth is no visa is guaranteed. So until it is granted there is always a chance it will fail. However, if you: Satisfy the selection criteria with a fully complete and correct application = probable visa grant. Submit an unsatisfactory application = possible visa refusal. It is unlikely that you will be given an opportunity to amend your application, even if it is just to correct a small detail you have overlooked after you have lodged an application. Therefore, it is crucial that you get it right the first time. And it is up to you to present the the decision maker with a case that will satisfy the stringent requirements of the authorities involved and laws in force at that time. A visa refusal may hamper any future submissions that you make, so again I can’t stress enough the importance of getting it right the first time.

Visa Policy

There are numerous websites and forums on the internet that allow people to exchange information and advise each other. However I always caution that you take this advice at your own risk, as sometimes it can be likened to a game of ‘Chinese Whispers’. Visa policy is complex and it changes often. Getting correct and the most up-to-date information can be difficult, but it is crucial, because… What worked then, may not work now. And what worked for them, may not work for you. Are you 100% sure that the class of visa they are referring to is the same as yours? Ultimately because migration law is so complex, the internet can become a source of misinformation. Something gets posted up in a forum for others to read. It gets reposted on other forums, by well meaning forum members, and then it becomes ‘gospel’. However, as each case is different, these internet ‘truths’ do not necessarily constitute the best advice and some cases can even be downright detrimental to the application. One such example, that I see often on the internet, is the question…

Should I deposit money into my girlfriends account to show that she has adequate funds for an Australian Tourist Visa?

Most people on forums answer, ‘Yes, immediately. Deposit X amount of money into her account!’ They say this because they are well meaning, and because they believe that it shows that she can support herself while she is in Australia. However, my advice to such a question is a vehement, ‘No. Under no circumstances should you deposit any money into her account!’ My reason being that it is an immediate red flag for DIAC , because it looks like it has solely put in there for the purpose of satisfying the adequate funds criteria… which of course, it has! There are many other ways of proving that your girlfriend has access to adequate funds.

Applying For An Inappropriate Visa

There are many visa sub classes and without some legal advice it can be difficult knowing which visa is the most appropriate to apply for. As a Migration Agent I am able to advise my clients immediately on which visa is the most suitable for their circumstances, however, if you are intending to do the visa by yourself it can sometimes be difficult to find the correct advice. Again, there’s a lot of information on the internet. A Google search for ‘Which Australian Visa’ brings back just under a million and a half results! So how do you know which visa is the right choice? And what happens if you get it wrong? I would advise anyone attempting a DIY visa application to make their first step a visit to DIAC’s website to do their Visa Wizard. Or should I make it my website? By following the steps and answering the questions correctly the Visa Wizard can help you find the most relevant Australia visa to apply for. Once you are 100% sure… While it’s true that  some  visas are much easier to obtain than others, generally this should not dictate the type of visa that is applied for. Instead the applicant should choose the visa depending upon their own personal circumstances. Unfortunately applying for the wrong visa is a

Submitting Incorrect Forms Or Fees

You may think that this is very basic advice, maybe it even seems obvious, but it’s amazing how many people get it wrong and have their visas refused.

It is very important that you fill out the application forms as accurately as possible and pay the correct amount in fees. This will go a long way in reducing the chances of a refusal of your application.

Make sure you fill all the relevant sections as truthfully as possible too, this not only helps you succeed with this application, but it can also help you to avoid future problems if you decide to apply for a subsequent visa later on in the future.

To be continued…

**Coming soon:**

• Misinterpreting The Visa Requirements
• Not Providing The Proper Documentation

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Tourist, Fiancé or Spouse Visa?

If you are Australian and your partner or girlfriend is Thai and you are unsure about which visa to apply for her – then the chances are you are going to have to do a bit of homework.

As each relationship is unique, so too is each visa application. Therefore choosing the right visa for her is very important.

The visa process can be long and frustrating, and expensive too, so getting it right the first time is paramount.

Which Australian visa?

There is a lot of false information circling around on the Internet, and there are also a lot of unscrupulous agents out there too, so it’s not always easy to make the decision to part with thousands of dollars without knowing more about the level of service they provide.

• How do you know what you are paying for?
• Will the hours they put into the application guarantee success?
• Will your girlfriend’s visa be granted?

Unfortunately the answers to those questions are not straightforward.

No one can guarantee the success of the visa, as this is a decision that only Australian authorities can make. So you are pretty much left to your own devices, which can be a tricky place to be, wondering which visa, how to go about it, and if it will be successful. Reputable Australian Immigration Lawyers can make the process easy, but they won’t be the cheapest option…

The Austraian Visa Process can be difficult

Many other people have been in your position and they agree that it can be very difficult to navigate through all the questions, and to make all the decisions, as well as file all the paperwork that is involved in an application of this sort.

You could opt for the Tourist Visa option which would allow your girlfriend a single visit for three months. The validity of this Visa application usually lasts for three to twelve months also depending on the rules stipulated by the terms and conditions of your Thai girlfriend’s passport.

From a Tourist Visa, you could eventually opt for better and more longer-term visa applications, especially once you have a more settled relationship with her.

Remember though that with a Tourist Visa, your girlfriend would be allowed recreational travel and vacations with you in Australia but not work or employment. She is not able to enrol at school or get a diploma, certification or degree. So you have to prove that you can support her during her stay.

So then you may start thinking about the Fiancé visa or Spouse Visa as a better option. At least then she could work or study, right…?

But the the Fiancé and Spouse Visas must include proof that you and your Thai girlfriend have actually met in person. You must show supporting documentation that is lengthy and personal including:

•    pictures,
•    phone records,
•    several copies of your passport with Thai stamps,
•    as well and other relevant documents that must be shown at the embassy.

The bottom line is that you must prove that you have a really valid, genuine and ongoing relationship with your Thai girlfriend to get this kind of visa.

A genuine relationship

The whole process of getting a Fiancé or Spouse Visa could take you about four to eight months  and once the requirements are completed, your Thai girlfriend could be called in for an interview. This will further prove that she has a relationship with you. But, if the Australian Embassy suspects that your Thai girlfriend is actually part of a human trafficking scheme or involved in prostitution, or she is suspected of having worked in a bar, she may also be denied entry into Australia.

By now you may be thinking that if you have a long-term relationship with a Thai lady and you want to prove it a genuine relationship that you should tie the knot. You may have come to the conclusion that actually having a legal marriage in Australia with your Thai girlfriend is the best way to go in terms of proving your relationship. But unfortunately this is not the case, and it is not as simple a matter as merely marrying your Thai sweetheart.

A marriage certificate alone does not prove a relationship…

For more in-depth visa advice, about Australian visas, and applications, read this superb ebook, packed full with all the information you need to submit a successful Australian Visa application! Not sure if you can apply for an Australian Tourist Visa yourself on behalf of your girlfriend? Need some help with the tough questions? Why not check out the best book on DIY applications for Australian Tourist Visas here, and find out how easy it can be!

Who… is the Primary Applicant?

For any Australian visa, the main visa applicant is known as the primary applicant.

This is because many Australian visas allow for the inclusion of additional applicants to be included on the one visa application form.

Usually they are the immediate family members of the primary applicant, such as a husband, wife or children for example.

The type of visa will provide for who can also be included in the visa application.

So who are Secondary Applicants?

Additional applicants are referred to as the secondary applicants to the primary applicant’s visa application.

In order the get a visa the primary applicant must satisfy all of the primary criteria relative to the Australian visa they are applying for, much of which is found in the Migration Regulations.

In some cases the criteria must be satisfied at different times, such as when the application is lodged or when a decision is made on the application. Examples of this are:

• An Australian partner visa application,
• A marriage or de-facto,
• Or a prospective marriage visa application (commonly referred to as an Australian fiancé visa).

Visa Application Criteria

There are certain criteria that must be satisfied at the time of lodging, and criteria that must be satisfied at a time a decision is made on the visa application.

It is very important that the criteria be satisfied at the relevant time or the visa must be refused. Some visas refusals are reviewable, whereas others are not.

It is essential that any potential visa applicant is aware of all of the criteria that must be satisfied.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to present a valid and complete application to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).

If the primary visa applicant’s application is refused, then all secondary applicants will have their application refused too.

Secondary applicants also have their own criteria which must be satisfied too, and again this can be at time of lodging the application and at the time a decision is made on the application.

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Australian Visa Documents

Do I need to submit original documents with an Australian visa application, and does it matter that they are not in English?

The Australian migration regulations provide that any document submitted to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) must be either the original document or a certified copy of the original document.

A certified copy is simply a copy of the original document that has been certified as a true copy of the original.

Certified Documents

If in Australia you can get a document certified by a solicitor, Justice of the Peace or any other person who is authorised to witness a statutory declaration. In Australia you will find no shortage of people who can certify original documents.

Outside Australia you will need to have the original documents certified by the local equivalent of a Justice of the Peace. Most Australian Embassies will have people that can certify original documents.

It is strongly advisable to submit certified copies over original ones. If the originals are lost or misplaced they may be hard or impossible to replace. Submit certified copies of documents. If the originals are requested then you can always produce them to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) personally.

Translated Documentation

When submitting a document with an Australia visa application that is not in English, that document should first be translated into English by a translator who is accredited. Both the translation and a certified copy of the original document should be submitted with the visa application.

With regards to Australian tourist visas, some overseas post have lately been more relaxed with the requirement when it comes to submitting certified copies and translations. For example subclass 676 tourist visa applications submitted to the Australian Embassy, Bangkok, currently do not need to be translated from Thai to English, nor do they need to be certified. The requirement for certified copies and translations is however strictly enforced when it comes to permanent visas such as Australian partner and fiancé visas.

Prior to submitting any visa application it is highly recommended that you inquire with the post that you are intending to submit the application to, what are their current requirements with regards to translations and certified copies relating to the Australian visa your are applying for.

Are you in the process of applying for your partner’s visa for Australia?

• Tourist visas
• Fiancé visas
• Spouse visas

If you would like more help, advice and valuable information that can help make your girlfriend’s application a successful one, follow the link: For a limited time only, we are offering you the chance to buy this superb ebook, packed full with all the information you need to submit a successful Australian Visa application for a fraction of the price a professional Migration Agent charges!

My Thai girlfriend was granted a tourist visa.

She is in Australia now. Can she apply for an extension?

Can my girlfriend apply for an extension?

This is a very common question asked all the time. Whether she can apply for another tourist visa whilst she is in Australia will depend upon a very important factor. Does she have the no further stay condition attached to her tourist visa?

If so, then she will not be able to apply for any other visa whilst she is in Australia. This means a further tourist visa or onshore partner visa for example. She will have to return to Thailand or another country to make a further offshore application

When your girlfriend was granted her tourist visa the decision-maker had the discretion to impose the no further stay condition. It is actually called condition 8503. It is usually imposed where the decision maker at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has some residual concerns that your girlfriend may not be intending to visit Australia as a genuine visitor only. In only very exceptional circumstances can the no further stay condition be waived which would then allow your girlfriend to make a further onshore application.

A visa extension can be granted

If your girlfriend does not have the no further stay condition attached to her current tourist visa, she would be allowed to apply for another visa whilst in Australia. As a strong word of caution however she still needs to satisfy all of the criteria relating to the visa that she is going to apply for. If she doesn’t satisfy the criteria the visa application will be refused.

In the absence of the no further stay condition your Thai girlfriend will able to apply for an extension online. This will only allow for a 3 month stay however. If she wants to stay longer than that then she will need to make a paper application with supporting documentation and lodge it with an office of DIAC in Australia. She must make sure too that she pays the appropriate visa application charge or it will be an invalid application.

On a final note as your girlfriend is from a high risk country for TB. If the grant of a tourist visa would allow her to stay in Australia for a period of more than 3 months, then she must also undertake a chest x-ray to rule out TB.

Find out why so many applications fail -READ OUR REPORT: **Why do so many visa applications fail? **

How does my Thai girlfriend prove that she is only intending to visit Australia as a genuine visitor only?

Genuine Visitor to Australia

All visitors to Australia must be able to satisfy the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) that their intention is to visit Australia as a genuine visitor only, and furthermore that they have adequate funds or access to adequate funds to support themselves whilst they are in Australia. If these criteria are not satisfied at the time of application then it will be refused.

Your  girlfriend’s visa application

If you want to support your Thai girlfriend’s tourist visa application, then a letter of support from you should definitely be included with her application.

A genuine visitor is someone who wants to visit Australia for tourist purposes only, perhaps to visit family and friends. They must not work whilst in Australia and depart Australia prior to their visa expiring.

Australian visas

Well then how do you establish whether someone is a genuine visitor or not?

If they say they are, are they?

The answer to that is unfortunately no. The DIAC decision maker deciding on an application will take all of the applicant’s circumstances into consideration in determining their intention.

Visitor Visa for Australia

Whilst the list is not exhaustive, factors such as strong family ties in their home country, on-going employment to return to, previous compliance in relation to other visas, real or personal property owned in their home country. All of these factors provide for compelling reasons for the applicant to return to their home country prior to their tourist visa expiring.

If the applicant is unemployed, living a transient lifestyle with no community ties then it unlikely that they would be granted a tourist visa as they would not be able to establish that they have an adequate incentive to return to their home country prior to their tourist visa expiring.

Australian Tourist Visa applications can be notoriously difficult for the unprepared, and a wrong application can result in a refusal.

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My Thai girlfriend was refused an Australian tourist visa

What can she do?

In almost all cases a tourist visa refusal cannot be reviewed. In circumstances where the applicant has an eligible family member who is an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident, then the refusal may be reviewable.

A letter of refusal

If your Thai girlfriend has applied for an Australian tourist visa which has been refused, then she would have been issued with a letter that states the reasons for the refusal. If she is going to reapply then she would need to ensure that she adequately addresses the reasons for the refusal in her subsequent tourist visa application. Do not just resubmit the same application as that would be a waste of time and money. If the visa is refused the visa application charge is not refundable either.

Tourist visa refusals

Of the majority of tourist visa refusals, they are refused simply because the applicant has failed to satisfy the decision maker at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) that their true intention was to visit Australia as a genuine visitor only. Not because they provided false or deliberately misleading information, but simply because they submitted a sub-standard application leaving the DIAC decision maker with no option than to refuse the tourist visa application.

When preparing any Australian visa application and this rule goes equally the same for tourist visa applications, the applicant must present a thoroughly prepared application that satisfies all of the criteria for successful grant of the visa being applied for. This includes all necessary documents and application forms. If any of the criteria is not satisfied, such as the adequate funds criteria for example, then the application will be refused.

The DIAC decision maker can only make a decision based on the information contained in the visa application. If it lacks even basic supporting documentation, then the application will fail. It is also not up to the decision maker to request further information from you. They may do so in some cases, but they are entitled to make a determination on the application lodged.

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Can I provide a letter in support of my Thai girlfriend’s Australian tourist visa application?

A letter of support

Although there is no legal requirement for an Australia tourist visa applicant to be sponsored, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) certainly looks very favorably towards any support offered by an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident. Some people refer to them as an invitation whereas others refer to them as a letter of support. A letter of support if often used to help satisfy the adequate funds criteria.

It is important to note however that although you are under no legal obligation to provide the letter of support, and in fact the support at all for that matter, the decision maker at DIAC would want to at least see that you have a moral obligation to provide the support that you are offering you Thai girlfriend.

If you have only known your Thai girlfriend through the internet and you have never physically met her, then the DIAC decision maker may take the view that you are not really under any moral obligation to provide the support and as such little weight if any will be attached to your letter of support. That is not saying that they don’t believe that your support is genuine, but that the relationship is not such that any weight can be attached to your letter of support.

The letter of support

If providing a letter in support of your Thai girlfriend’s tourist visa application there are three things to keep in mind in order to prepare a successful letter of support.

• Firstly include evidence of how long you have known your girlfriend. For example, photos, emails, evidence of your previous visits to Thailand to see her.

• Secondly, describe the extent of the support that you are prepared to offer your girlfriend, whether it is financial and accommodation for example.

Any visitor to Australia must be able to show that they have adequate funds or access to adequate funds for the purpose and duration of their proposed stay in Australia. Your well prepared letter of support will go towards satisfying this criteria.

Find out why so many Australian visa applications fail.

• You can submit a successful Australian Tourist Visa application with the help of this great ebook.
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What is the no further stay condition?

My Thai girlfriend has been granted an Australian tourist visa but it has a no further stay condition attached to it.

What does this mean?

Condition 8503

The most common no further stay condition is Condition 8503. For some Australian visas this condition is mandatory, that is, it must be attached as a condition of the visa granted. For other visas the decision maker has discretion to attach the no further stay condition or not.

If your Thai girlfriend has been granted a sponsored family visitor visa then this condition will definitely be attached to her visa as there is no discretion to not impose it. If she has been granted a tourist visa then she may or may not have the condition attached to her tourist visa. Where there is discretion to attach the no further stay condition and it is attached, it is usually done so where the decision maker has some residual concerns that the applicant is not intending to visit Australia as a genuine visitor only, yet there is not enough evidence to suggest this assumption.

Other conditions

When you girlfriend was granted her tourist visa she would have been given a letter which states all the conditions attached to her visa. Other conditions will include that she must not work or study in Australia for more than three months. Australia has moved away from placing visa labels in passports, and instead the visa is stored electronically on the Department of Immigration and Citizenships (DIAC) database. It is always advisable to carry the letter with you when you travel however.

The no further stay condition if attached to your girlfriends visa means that she cannot whilst she is in Australia apply for any other visa, that is, she must depart Australia if she wants to apply for another visa. This even goes to tourist visa extensions as well.

Waiving the no further stay condition

In very limited circumstances the no further stay condition can be waived, but an application to have the condition waived must be done well before the tourist visa is due to expire. The no further stay condition is usually only waived where compelling circumstances has arisen since the grant of the visa with the no further stay condition attached. If the no further condition is waived then the applicant would be entitled to apply for another visa in Australia. They should be aware however that they will still need to satisfy the criteria for the visa they are applying for, and there is no guarantee that visa will be granted, and even if it is granted it too may have the no further stay condition attached.

You can do your Thai girl’s Australian visa yourself and you can be successful!

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• Want to bring your girl back home to Aus with you? Have lots of Australian Visa questions that you can’t find answers to? You might find them in here… With the help of this great ebook. Find out more here: