Short Term Work visas allow applicants to live in Australia on a temporary basis to conduct specific business and employment activities.
It is important to be aware of the kinds of business activities you can and cannot do under each visa otherwise you may be at risk of breaching your visa conditions.
Short Term Work Visas Pathways
Short Term Work visa subclasses include:
- Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) Visa (Subclass 400)
- Visitor Visa (Subclass 600) – Business Stream
- Electronic Travel Authority Visa (Subclass 601) – Business Stream
- eVisitor (Subclass 651) Visa – Business Stream
TEMPORARY WORK (SHORT STAY SPECIALIST) VISA (SUBCLASS 400)
This short-term temporary visa lets you enter Australia to: do short-term, highly specialised, non-ongoing work and in limited circumstances, participate in an activity or work relating to Australia’s interests.
You must first arrive in Australia within six months of the date the visa is granted, or within a shorter time-frame if granted.
Generally you can stay in Australia for up to three months where required, but depending on your work or activity a longer period of up to six months might be allowed in limited circumstances. Your stay period begins on the day you first enter Australia. If your visa has been granted with multiple entries, you can travel to and from Australia during the stay period granted.
When you receive your visa, you are issued with a visa grant notification letter that explains the conditions of your visa, including the stay period and entry requirements.
You must be outside Australia when you apply for this visa and when your application is decided.
To apply, you must be able to show that:
the work or activity you want to do is short term and non-ongoing,
you need to be in Australia to do the work or activity,
you have personal attributes or an employment background relevant to the work or activity,
you have enough money to support yourself and your accompanying family members while you are in Australia,
where applicable, you have the support of the organisation for which you will be working or which invited you to Australia, and
you meet health and character requirements.
When lodging your subclass 400 visa application, you will need to allow time for the application to be processed, taking into account the date you are intending to travel to Australia. We may take up to one month to assess the application (sometimes longer if health or character checks are required) or within a shorter timeframe if all the required evidence is provided. It is generally not recommended that you lodge a subclass 400 application more than six months before your intended travel date, as you must first arrive in Australia within six months of the date the visa is granted, or within a shorter time-frame if granted.
VISITOR VISA (SUBCLASS 600) – BUSINESS STREAM
The Visitor visa (subclass 600) is for people who want to
travel Australia as tourists, for business or to visit family. It is a
temporary visa. This Tourist stream is for people travelling to Australia for a
holiday, recreation or to visit family and friends. If you apply for this visa
in Australia, you must be in Australia when the visa is decided. If you apply
for this visa outside Australia, you must be outside Australia when the visa is
decided.
Applicants who state an intention only to visit Australia temporarily for
business visitor activities are known as business visitors. A ‘business visitor
activity’ is defined in regulation 1.03 as: “making general business
enquiries, or investigating, negotiating and reviewing contracts with
organisations in Australia investigating, negotiating or entering into a
personal business agreement, including investment or enquiring into employment
opportunities, participating in conferences, trade fairs or seminars unless the
visa holder is being paid by the organisers for participation making an
official government to government visit”.
Consistent with the definition above, a ‘business visitor activity’ is not: the
actual supply of services to, or the undertaking of work for, an organisation
in Australia or individuals in Australia or making sales of goods or services
directly to the general public.
In order to be granted this visa you will need to show that you are a genuine
temporary entrant and that you have adequate means of support throughout your
stay.
ELECTRONIC TRAVEL AUTHORITY VISA (SUBCLASS 601) – BUSINESS STREAM
The ETA provides authorisation to travel to and enter Australia and is electronically linked to your passport.
The ETA is an electronically-stored authority for travel to Australia for applicants outside Australia. It replaces the visa label or stamp in a passport and reduces the need for travellers to visit an Australian Embassy. The Australian ETA allows the holder to travel to Australia as many times as required within the validity period which is 12 months from the date of issue. The maximum length of each visit is three months.
Applicants who state an intention only to visit Australia temporarily for business visitor activities are known as business visitors. A ‘business visitor activity’ is defined in regulation 1.03 as: “making general business enquiries, or investigating, negotiating and reviewing contracts with organisations in Australia investigating, negotiating or entering into a personal business agreement, including investment or enquiring into employment opportunities, participating in conferences, trade fairs or seminars unless the visa holder is being paid by the organisers for participation making an official government to government visit”.
Consistent with the definition above, a ‘business visitor activity’ is not: the actual supply of services to, or the undertaking of work for, an organisation in Australia or individuals in Australia or making sales of goods or services directly to the general public.
While checking in at the airport for your Australian-bound flight, the check-in staff can electronically confirm that you have authority to board the flight to Australia.
The ETA is allowed for citizens of the following 32 countries – Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States and Vatican City.
Travellers must hold a passport from one of the following countries or regions in order to apply for an ETA online: Brunei – Darussalam, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, or United States. Otherwise you will need to apply through a travel agent.
You can apply online here.
E-VISITOR (SUBCLASS 651) VISA – BUSINESS STREAM
You may be eligible for an eVisitor if you: intend to visit Australia only temporarily and for tourism purposes, are outside Australia, hold an eVisitor-eligible passport, and have not been convicted of an offence or offences for which the total sentence is more than 12 months (whether or not the sentence has been served).
You must be outside Australia when you lodge your application for an eVisitor. You do not need to visit an immigration office and you will not receive a stamp or label in your passport. However, you will be given a confirmation for your records.
An eVisitor allows you to enter Australia for tourism or business purposes. You may stay for up to three months during each visit during the 12 months from the date the eVisitor is granted.
Applicants who state an intention only to visit Australia temporarily for business visitor activities are known as business visitors. A ‘business visitor activity’ is defined in regulation 1.03 as: “making general business enquiries, or investigating, negotiating and reviewing contracts with organisations in Australia investigating, negotiating or entering into a personal business agreement, including investment or enquiring into employment opportunities, participating in conferences, trade fairs or seminars unless the visa holder is being paid by the organisers for participation making an official government to government visit”
Consistent with the definition above, a ‘business visitor activity’ is not: the actual supply of services to, or the undertaking of work for, an organisation in Australia or individuals in Australia or making sales of goods or services directly to the general public.
While checking in at the airport for your Australian-bound flight, the check-in staff can electronically confirm that you have authority to board the flight to Australia.
eVisitor-eligible passports are citizen passports issued by the following countries: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Republic of San Marino, Slovak, Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom – British Citizen, and Vatican City.
You can apply online here.
HOW WE CAN HELP WITH YOUR SHORT TERM WORK VISA APPLICATION
One of the main issues that can arise with a Short Term Work Visas application is being aware of the kinds of work that you can legally perform on a particular visa.
- You will likely need legal advice as to whether the nature of your work is allowed under with your visa Subclass.
- Applicants must have no outstanding debts owing to the Commonwealth.
- Australia’s employment visa regime is constantly changing. Contact our office for an assessment of your eligibility.
Summit Migration can assist with preparing your visa application and ensuring all relevant supporting documents are provided as well as giving you comprehensive advice on the types of activities you can and cannot participate in. We can also let you know whether you or your family members need to complete medical checks as part of the process.
If you have received a visa refusal, then the solicitors at Summit Migration may be able to assist. Find out more about appeals for visa refusals here. Alternatively, you may be eligible for Ministerial Intervention.
How Can We Help
Summit Migration provides free 15-minute, no-obligation phone consultation. Claim your free telephone consultation today. Call us on (07) 31777609 to speak to a Registered Migration Agent about your matter.
