A trial of the priority service for Chinese
nationals in the People’s Republic of China, will make Australia a more
attractive visitor destination and will help grow the tourist economy,
including in northern Australia. These measures will help Australia capitalise
on the increased affluence of Asia and the northern Australia’s proximity to the
region.
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection will trial a priority service for processing Subclass 600 (Visitor) visa applications in both the Tourist and the Business Visitor streams, for certain visa applicants who are Chinese nationals. It is expected this trial may appeal to affluent individuals who may wish to travel to Australia at short notice.
The priority service may be requested by a visa applicant for a fee of AUD1,000, charged in addition to the existing visa application charge. The priority service provides priority consideration of a visa application, however there is no regulatory requirement that the application be decided by a particular timeframe. While the Department will endeavour to make a decision on a priority service visa application within a shortened timeframe, applicants will be informed in advance that there is no guarantee of a faster outcome, as issues such as character and health matters may delay processing. No refund will be available unless the visa application charge is being refunded. Invalid requests for this priority service, for example applicants holding passports not specified under the Regulation, would receive full repayment of the AUD $1,000 fee. Processing times for Visitor visas, more generally, will not be affected by this service.
Applicants must still meet all regulatory requirements for the grant of a Visitor visa.
Source: Explanatory Statement issued by the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection dated 15 March 2016
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