Althea's Adventures

I’ve been wanting to visit my first cousin in Sydney, Australia because I haven’t seen her in ages. She’s been living there for 7 years already and is now a permanent resident. One day, while I was chatting her, I checked my Cebu Pacific app for airfare costs to Sydney, fortunately, there was a seat sale! I was like, OMG!!! Round trip airfare was only Php 9,975! My cousin said that the regular round trip airfare tickets from Manila to Sydney usually costs Php 20,000 – Php 25,000. So, being the impulsive me, I booked it! It was last February when I booked for July dates, and I’ll be staying there for 7 days. Good thing that I will be there for her birthday too! Yay!😎 

And now that I’ve booked my flights, the next step is to prepare for my visa application. So I asked her and researched online as well. Here are the steps:

Step 1. Create an ImmiAccount

This is how it looks like using your smart phone

Step 2. Once you have created an  ImmiAccount, apply for the Visitor Visa 600 (Application for a Visitor Short Stay Visa)

Step 3. Read and accept the Terms and Conditions

Fill out the online form, then attach all your documents. Here are the documents I prepared:

a. NSO Birth Certificate

b. Invitation letter from Sponsor (if there’s any)

• Friend
• Relatives
• Business/Company

c. Work Experience

• Employment Contract or Employment Certificate
• Certificate of Employment with salary
• Pay slip (6 months)

d. Travel History

• Certified copies of all current and old passport stamps
• Certified copies of valid or expired visa

e. Travel Documents

• Certified copy of passport bio page
• Flight information
• Hotel reservations
• Daily itinerary

f. Financial Capacity

• Bank Statement or Bank Certificate
• ITR

g. Other Financial Documents

• Stocks
• Insurance

Step 4. Pay for the visa application fee at the same website via debit/credit card or Paypal. Visa application fee is $135 (AUD)

Usual turnaround time is 4-6 weeks, I got my visa via e-mail after 7 calendar days. 😊

Here’s what the Visa Grant Notice looks like

So, that was my experience with applying for an Australian Tourist Visa. I’ve also learned that it will be easier to apply for a Japan or Korean visa if you have been approved for an Australian visa. Yay! I hope this helps!😊

For more of my adventures, please click Althea’s Adventures. Happy travels!✈️