Australia’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) announced on its website recently that it will start issuing tourist visas with 10-year validity to Chinese visitors on a trial basis. Application for the visa will open at the end of 2016.
Details of the visa scheme have not yet been released but analysts believe there will still be certain criteria for applicants and, as with regular tourism visas, the new visa will also bar visitors from working in Australia and limit each stay in the country to three months per visit. Visitors may also be required to maintain a certain duration between exit and re-entry to Australia.
Application fee for the new visas will be AUD$1,000, in addition to the standard fee of AUD$135. The Australian government will also set up a Chinese-language online express service for processing applications.
Australia’s revolutionary change in tourist visa policy for Chinese visitors will greatly benefit the hordes of Chinese tourists, as well as strengthen tourism and academic exchanges between the two countries. (Translation by David)
