Subclass 600 — Visitor Visa — immi.wiki

The Subclass 600 Visitor visa is the primary visitor visa for Australia. It covers a range of purposes including tourism, family visits, cruises, and short-term business activities. The visa was introduced in 2013 and replaced several earlier visitor visa subclasses.

The Subclass 600 has five streams:

• Tourist stream — for tourism, recreation, visiting family and friends, or other non-work purposes; the most commonly granted stream
• Business Visitor stream — for short-term business activities (attending conferences, negotiations, exploratory business discussions) that do not amount to working in Australia
• Sponsored Family stream — for applicants sponsored by an approved Australian relative or eligible New Zealand citizen; allows longer stays
• Approved Destination Status (ADS) stream — for Chinese nationals travelling with an approved ADS tour group
• Frequent Traveller stream — for applicants from APEC economies holding a valid APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC)

Eligibility requirements vary by stream but common requirements include:

• Genuine temporary entrant (GTE) — the applicant must genuinely intend to stay in Australia temporarily and to depart before the visa expires; the Department considers ties to the home country, immigration history, financial circumstances, and the purpose of the visit
• No intention to work — the applicant must not intend to work in Australia (the Business Visitor stream permits limited business activities but not employment or contract work)
• Financial capacity — sufficient funds to support themselves during the stay
• Health and character — meet standard public interest criteria; health examinations may be required depending on the applicant's nationality and intended stay duration

Many nationalities are eligible to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (Subclass 601) or eVisitor (Subclass 651) instead of the Subclass 600 — these are simpler processes for eligible passport holders. The Subclass 600 applies broadly and covers nationalities not eligible for the 601 or 651.

Subclass 600 applications are lodged online via ImmiAccount. The applicant may be onshore or offshore when applying, depending on the stream. Key supporting documents typically include:

• Valid passport
• Evidence of the purpose of the visit (e.g., invitation letters, conference registrations, family relationship evidence)
• Evidence of financial capacity (bank statements, sponsor financial evidence)
• Evidence of ties to home country (employment letter, property ownership, family ties)
• Travel itinerary

Processing times vary significantly by nationality and application stream. Some applicants are granted the visa rapidly; others with more complex immigration histories may have longer processing times.

Key conditions on the Subclass 600:

• No work (Condition 8101) — the holder must not work in Australia; breaching this condition is grounds for cancellation
• No further stay (Condition 8503) — may be imposed in some cases, preventing the holder from applying for another substantive visa while in Australia; waivable in compelling circumstances under r 2.05(4)
• Duration — the Tourist stream is typically granted for up to 12 months with stays of up to 3 or 6 months per visit (or longer in some cases); the Business Visitor stream is typically for up to 3 months

No further stay condition note

Condition 8503 (No Further Stay) is sometimes imposed on Subclass 600 visas where the applicant's immigration history raises concerns about genuine temporary entry. Where imposed, it prevents the holder from applying for another substantive visa from within Australia (with limited exceptions). The condition can be waived by the Department on compelling and compassionate grounds under r 2.05(4).