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.
Request for Information (RFI) for the provision of administrative services for the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs
The Australia Government Department of Home Affairs has released an RFI today (7 December 2021) on AusTender titled Service Delivery Partners: Delivering Administrative Services for the Department of Home Affairs (HOMEAFFAIRS/2083/RFI). The RFI seeks information on best practice service approaches and technologies to support and extend the Department’s overseas service delivery. It aims to identify opportunities that will enable the Department to meet increasing future demand for services.
Reopening our border during COVID-19 will see an increase in demand for departmental services along with evolving integrity threats and traveller expectations for more efficient, digitally enabled services. To meet these challenges the Department is examining opportunities to increase the involvement of Service Delivery Partners in the delivery of its overseas transactional and administrative services.
If you are a supplier of application support, biometric collection and/or verification services (as well as other services as described in the RFI), the Department is keen to hear from you. The RFI is not a procurement. Whilst the Department has not yet committed to any future procurement activity, next steps may include a procurement process commencing in 2022.
Online-only lodgement for Visitor visa (subclass 600)
The Department of Home Affairs (the Department) is introducing 100 per cent online lodgement for Visitor visas (subclass 600). The changes will be introduced in two phases commencing from September 2021. Following these changes, paper applications will not be accepted as valid for lodgement:
- From 30 September 2021 (phase 1), all applicants applying for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) from outside Australia in any stream must lodge their application online via ImmiAccount. Applicants applying for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) in Australia in the Tourist stream may lodge their application online via ImmiAccount or by posting their application to the Sydney office. The courier option will no longer be available.
- From early 2022 (phase 2), all applicants applying for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) in Australia in the Tourist stream must lodge their application online via ImmiAccount.
How can I apply for a Visitor visa online?
ImmiAccount is an online service that provides a simple, efficient and convenient way to apply for a visa. You can create an ImmiAccount, select the visa type you want to apply for, attach documents, submit family applications together and pay the application fee online at https://online.immi.gov.au
You can also get help from a family member, friend or migration agent to submit your application if required.
Australian Visa Application Centres outside Australia may also offer assisted online lodgement services, depending on local country arrangements.
Where can I get additional information?
Information about these changes will be updated on the Department’s website for each Visitor visa (subclass 600) stream page. A list of all streams is at:
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/visitor-600
Information and guidance about applying online and using ImmiAccount is available on the Department’s website at:
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/applying-online-or-on-paper/online
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 Australian Citizenship by Descent
You may be eligible for Australian citizenship by descent if you were born outside Australia and one (or both) of your parents at the time of your birth was also an Australian citizen at that time. Check your eligibility before you apply.
Apply online through ImmiAccount. More information about how to apply is available on the Department of Home Affairs website.
Information about processing times is also available on the Department of Home Affairs website.
Applying for Evidence of Australian citizenship
An Australian citizenship certificate is an official document that shows that a person is an Australian citizen. If you meet requirements, you can get a certificate, or replace one that has been lost, destroyed or damaged. Check your eligibility before you apply.
Apply online through ImmiAccount. More information about how to apply is available on the Department of Home Affairs website.
Information about processing times is also available on the Department of Home Affairs website.
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