For the latest information on Australia's immigration and border arrangements during the COVID-19 outbreak please visit https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/.
If you are currently in Australia and seeking advice about your options, please visit https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/staying-australia.
The best way to find out information about immigration and citizenship is by visiting the Department of Home Affairs website at www.homeaffairs.gov.au.
If you can’t find the information you are looking for, you can contact the Department of Home Affairs Global Service Centre on +61 2 6196 0196, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm local time in your country, or via https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-and-support/contact-us.
Welcome
Welcome to the website of the Migration Branch of the Australian High Commission in London. We are an overseas office of the Department of Home Affairs. We service clients who are usually resident in the United Kingdom, Andorra, Ascension Island, Belgium, Canary Islands, Falkland Islands, France, Gibraltar, Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg, Monaco, Portugal, Saint Helena, Spain and Ukraine.
You should not book flights or make travel commitments until you have a visa to travel to Australia. The Department will not be liable for any financial loss incurred by clients whose visa application was finalised later than expected or was unsuccessful.
COVID-19: Travel Restrictions
For questions on the Novel coronavirus and Australian travel restrictions, please refer to the Departmental website at https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/news-media/current-alerts/novel-coronavirus. This website is regularly updated and will give you the latest official information.
Applying for Citizenship by Descent
From 1 May 2021, new Citizenship by Descent applications lodged outside Australia in the UK, Ireland, Europe and Israel will be processed in Australia instead of the Visa and Citizenship Office at Australian High Commission in London.
Applying online is the preferred way for you to apply and helps the Department to process your application faster. Apply online via the Department of Home Affairs website.
If you are unable to apply online, complete Form 118 Application for Australian citizenship by descent (PDF): Departmental forms (homeaffairs.gov.au)
Send the application, certified copies of documents and the payment receipt to the address on the form.
Please refer to the Department’s website regarding global processing times for Citizenship by Descent applications: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/citizenship/citizenship-processing-times
For online applications, persons should refer to ImmiAccount for the status of their application.
If the application is within the advertised global processing time, requests for priority processing will only be considered if exceptional compelling and compassionate circumstances exist and you have an imminent scheduled flight to Australia.
Should this apply to the application and you have not already confirmed this when your application was lodged, upload your claims for priority processing to ImmiAccount.
Citizenship by Descent applications lodged prior to 1 May 2021 will continue to be processed at the Visa and Citizenship Office at Australian High Commission in London.
Work and Holiday visa program: Mandatory online lodgement of visa applications
We are pleased to announce that the Department of Home Affairs is moving to mandatory online lodgement for Work and Holiday visa applications on 17 November 2018. This will make it faster and easier for you to lodge a Work and Holiday visa application for Australia.
The change means that from 17 November 2018 all nationals of Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, and Slovenia, as well as Spain and the Slovak Republic, must lodge their Work and Holiday application online. This can be done through the Department of Home Affairs’ website at www.homeaffairs.gov.au using ImmiAccount.
Paper applications will no longer accepted from 17 November 2018. This change only relates to the method of lodging the visa application, so all visa requirements and eligibility criteria remain unchanged.
Please note that this change does not affect the number of places available in the 2018-19 Work and Holiday program. Therefore, due to the high number of applications already received, applicants from Spain and Israel will not be able to lodge applications until further notice.
It is important to note that the requirement of Functional English also remains unchanged. For a list of acceptable evidence to demonstrate that you have at least functional English, please refer to the Department’s website at https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-462#tab-content-1, then go to the tab “visa applicants” and refer to the information listed in the drop-down text for “Functional English”. Please ensure that you include this evidence when you lodge your application.
For further information, please see https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-462#tab-content-1
Biometric collection arrangements in France
Clients resident in France, regardless of nationality, applying for a visa on a paper form are required to provide a digital facial image and fingerprint scan, this is known as biometrics. Some persons are exempt from providing biometrics, for example Heads of State and accredited diplomats. For more information on biometric collection please refer to the Australian Embassy, Paris website below:
https://france.embassy.gov.au/pari/Visas_and_Migration.html
Post Specific Information
You can view current global visa and citizenship processing times for most visa subclasses and citizenship types. Please see the product page for the specific visa subclass or citizenship type you are applying for. You can navigate to any product from Individuals and Travellers or Visa Support. On the product page, two processing times will be displayed, indicating how long it takes to finalise 75 and 90 per cent of all applications submitted globally.
Processing times apply from the date your complete application is lodged.
You can also use the Visa Finder to compare processing times for up to three different products.
Please note that applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis, and that actual processing times may vary due to individual circumstances including:
- whether the applicant has lodged a complete application including all necessary supporting documents
- how promptly the applicant responds to any requests for additional information
- how long it takes to perform required checks
- how long it takes to receive additional information from external parties, particularly in relation to health, character, national security, and Assurance of Support requirements
- the number of places available in the migration programme (for permanent migration visas)
- surges in demand and peak periods
To ensure your application falls within the published processing times, we strongly encourage you to submit complete applications. The checklists provided on ImmiAccount will assist in making sure you have included all required documents during the application process.
Immigration and Citizenship
Our Department is committed to building more efficient and effective ways of delivering accessible services through the use of digital channels as our default form of delivery.
As such, you can complete a number of services online without needing to contact the department directly. This includes:
Check status of your Australian visa online
Please note that we are unable to provide any updates on the progress of your application if it is within average global processing times.
Please ensure that any supporting documents required with your application are attached during, or by the next business day, following the lodgement of your application. A decision may be made solely on the information that you provide with your application.
Any document in a language other than English must be accompanied by an English Translation.
The Australian Department of Home Affairs is moving towards a global visa processing model. This means that any application may be processed in an office other than where it is lodged. As such it is important that all supporting documents attached to the application which are not in English, be accompanied by an English translation.
The English translations must be appropriately endorsed translations. In Australia, translators must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters. Their accreditation details must be recorded on the translation.
Translations provided by non-accredited translators outside Australia should be endorsed by the translator with their full name, address, telephone number, and details of their qualifications and experience in the language being translated.
Please ensure that when providing an English translation, that a copy of the original document is also provided. Failure to provide an English translation of supporting documentation may delay processing and result in the document not being considered as part of the visa application.
Departmental policy relating to supporting documentation can be found on the Department’s website: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/who-can-help-with-your-application