The Australian Visitor Visa from India
Subclass 600, Tourist stream — a fee that went up 25 per cent in July, a test of whether you are a genuine visitor, and a medical that can land in your inbox weeks after you thought you were finished.
What you are applying for
Australia's visitor visa is the subclass 600, and it comes in several streams. Almost every Indian applicant travelling for a holiday or to see family uses the Tourist stream, lodged outside Australia. There is also a Sponsored Family stream, where an Australian relative sponsors you and may be asked to lodge a security bond — worth knowing exists, but not the usual route.
If you are not sure which stream applies to you — or you are already in Australia, or you have heard about a ten-year visitor visa — the streams are set out side by side in this companion guide, including the one that costs AUD 630 instead of AUD 250.
The visa permits tourism, visiting family and friends, and some business visitor activity such as meetings and conferences. It does not permit work, and it does not permit study beyond three months.
The length of stay is granted, not requested — the case officer decides on three, six or twelve months, and a first-time applicant asking for twelve is more likely to prompt questions than to receive it.
What it costs
| Item | AUD | Approx. INR |
|---|---|---|
| Visa application charge, Tourist stream offshore | 250 | ₹17,100 |
| Each additional applicant, including children | 250 | ₹17,100 |
The charge rose from AUD 200 to AUD 250 on 1 July 2026 — a single step of roughly 25 per cent rather than the usual few per cent of annual indexation. Guides written before that date are wrong, and there are a lot of them.
Note what the second row means: Australia has no family application rate. A family of four pays four charges — about ₹68,400 before anything else. Canada, by contrast, caps a family application at CAD 500. This surprises people badly, and it is the single most useful number on this page.
Biometrics may be required at an Australian Visa Application Centre, and a health examination, if requested, is paid to the panel clinic separately. Rupee figures move with the exchange rate.
The genuine visitor test
Every refusal reason for this visa traces back to one question: does the case officer believe you intend to visit temporarily and go home?
Australia assesses this on documented ties, and the emphasis is on documented. A sentence in a cover letter saying you will return is worth nothing. An employer's letter granting leave with a return date, a business with filed GST returns, property papers, children in school here, dependent parents — those are worth something because they are checkable.
The officer also weighs your circumstances in India against the incentives to stay: your economic position, your travel history, whether close family are already in Australia, and the immigration history of anyone sponsoring you. Having relatives in Australia is not a problem. Failing to explain why you are still returning to India despite them is.
How the process runs
The application is lodged online through ImmiAccount, which issues a TRN — the transaction reference number you will need for every subsequent step. You upload your documents there, pay the charge, and then, in most cases, wait.
Two things can interrupt that wait, and both catch people out. The department may request a health examination after lodgement, which means a HAP ID, a panel clinic appointment and a further wait for results. This is why you should not book non-refundable travel when you lodge — a medical request can add weeks to a file that looked nearly done. Applicants with extensive travel history may also be asked for Form 80, a long personal-particulars form covering the last ten years, and it takes real time to complete accurately.
Processing has commonly run 20 to 40 working days for Indian applicants. Apply two to three months before you intend to travel.
Watch for condition 8503. A visitor visa may be granted with a "no further stay" condition attached, which prevents you applying for most other visas while you are in Australia. Read the grant letter rather than assuming; it changes what your options are once you land.
The documents
Beyond the passport and the online form, an Australian file is built from the same three things every visitor application needs: evidence of who you are and what you do, evidence you can pay for the trip, and evidence of the trip itself.
In practice that means a photograph to the 35 × 45 mm white-background specification, six months of bank statements, income tax returns, employment or business proof with sanctioned leave, a day-wise itinerary that matches your flight and hotel bookings, and travel health insurance. If a relative in Australia is inviting or funding you, their status, address, employment and ATO Notice of Assessment for the last two years come into it as well. A minor travelling without both parents needs Form 1229.
We publish a complete, current Australia document checklist — every document in the order to assemble it, the occupation-specific sets for salaried, business, agricultural and retired applicants, and what the sponsor in Australia has to provide. It is a ₹500 download, and included when we file on your behalf.
Why Australian applications from India get refused
- The genuine visitor test not met — ties asserted rather than evidenced
- Funds that do not match the itinerary, or money that appeared shortly before lodgement
- An unclear or inconsistent purpose — the stated reason and the booked trip do not agree
- Incomplete responses to a request for a medical, Form 80 or further documents
- Undisclosed refusals or visa cancellations, from Australia or elsewhere
- A sponsor whose own immigration history raises questions and is left unaddressed
In closing
Australia is a well-run system with an expensive front door and a genuine willingness to grant twelve months to people whose files make sense. Budget for every traveller paying separately, document your reasons to return rather than stating them, and leave enough time in the calendar for a medical you may never be asked for.
If you'd rather not do this alone
Our desk files Australian visitor visas end to end — ImmiAccount lodgement, document review, handling a health or Form 80 request if one arrives, and submission. We'll tell you honestly if your file looks thin before you spend AUD 250 per traveller. If you only want the paperwork sorted, the Australia document checklist is a ₹500 download.
This guide is for general information and is not immigration advice. Visa charges, rules and processing times change without notice. Always confirm current details on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before applying. No agent can guarantee a visa approval — the decision rests solely with the case officer.