SHORT BUSINESS TRIPS VISAS

THIS IS THE EASIEST & QUICKEST BUSINESS VISA CLASS
(read "Ladder of Migration" on how you can move steadily and strategically up the ladder migration towards permanent residency)

FIVE 3 MONTH BUSINESS VISAS –
SUB-CLASSES 456, 459, 956, 977 & APEC CARD

(i) Sub-class 456

The subclass 456 (Business (Short Stay) visa allows people to enter and leave Australia once or on multiple occasions during the visa validity period stay in Australia for up to three months from the date of each entry and to bring their spouse or dependent children to Australia. The visa is for business people who are not eligible to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (see below for ETA's) and who will attend to business activities in Australia including conferences, business negotiations or exploratory business visits

(ii) Sub-class 459

This visa is the same as the 456 except that it is for business people who have an approved sponsor in Australia and are not eligible to apply for an ETA. According to the Australian immigration department (now called DIAC) “an approved sponsor is:

•  a member of an Australian parliament (Commonwealth, State or Territory)
•  an authorised person representing a Commonwealth, State or Territory government department or instrumentality
•  a local government mayor
or
•  a representative from an approved organisation that has been gazetted by the Minister” (organisations can apply for this approval – contact us for advice).

(iii) Sub-class 956 Electronic travel authority “ETA” visa

956 (Long Validity) is for business people who from one of the 34 ETA countries listed below and are therefore eligible to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA). It allows the holder to enter Australia on multiple occasions, for up to 3 months at a time, during the life of the passport. Business activities may include conferences, negotiation or exploratory business visits, but do not include acting, musical performances or commercial film making.

(iv) Sub-class 977 Electronic travel authority “ETA” visa

This visa is for business people to visit Australia for business purposes; for example, to attend a conference or training session, to conduct business with an Australia-based organisation, to conduct business negotiations or for an exploratory business visit.

If you are from one of these 34 countries you can obtain a 956 or 977 visa, one of three Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) visas {the third is the 976 Tourist (Short Validity) visa discussed elsewhere on our website}:

According to the Australian Immigration Department, “more than 21 million travelers have been granted ETAs to come to Australia . ETA's now account for almost 83 per cent of all tourist and short-term business visas granted worldwide.”

The ETA system can now be accessed by more than 300,000 travel agents worldwide, more than 75 airlines and through the Internet (no internet applications for the 956 visa).

All ETA's allow single or multiple entries into Australia for a maximum stay of up to three months from the date of each entry and the 976 and 977 (Short Validity) ETA's allow the holder to travel to Australia as often as they need within the specified period (not to exceed 12 months) from the date the ETA was granted. These ETA's are free of government application fees.

(v) APEC card

People from the following 16 APEC countries can obtain an APEC Business Travel Card to enter Australia more quickly and efficiently in order to;

•  Brunei Darussalam #
•  Chile
•  Hong Kong ( China ) #
•  Indonesia
•  Japan #
•  Republic of Korea
•  New Zealand
•  Papua New Guinea
•  People's Republic of China
•  The Philippines
•  Malaysia #
•  Peru
•  Singapore #
•  Chinese Taipei
•  Thailand

(people from the countries marked # can also apply for an Australian ETA)

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