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Business Visas (non-ETA)
Short Stay Business Visitor visas (subclasses 456 and 459) and the Business Electronic Travel Authority ETA (956 and 977) allow businesspeople to visit Australia to conduct business (attend conferences, business negotiations, exploratory visits, etc). They are not intended to be work visas and, as such, do not involve the same obligations on employers through sponsorship that is backed by monitoring arrangements designed to offer protection from exploitation to visa holders and protect the interests of Australian workers.
In July 2008, the policy was updated to provide clear direction on visa condition 8112 which is attached to the visa. This condition states:
• “The holder must not engage in work in Australia that might otherwise be carried out by an Australian citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident”.
There is provision in the policy that allows for grant of the Business Visitor visas in appropriate cases where the work is short term (less than 6 weeks); and the work to be done is highly specialised in nature (or the work is an emergency or urgent); and the employment is not ongoing. This provision does not cover unskilled or semi-skilled work.
The policy is explicit in stating that the appropriate visa for people who are travelling to Australia to undertake skilled work is the subclass 457 Temporary Business (Long Stay) visa. See http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/skilled-workers/visa-temporary.htm.
The 457 visa contains a range of safeguards including monitoring arrangements designed to ensure that sponsors are aware of their obligations and abide by them when bringing overseas skilled workers to Australia. Such arrangements provide protection for overseas workers from exploitation, ie. through underpayment, excessive work hours or under award conditions.
If you are not the holder of a passport from an ETA-eligible country, you cannot obtain a business ETA. Instead you will need to apply for a sub-class 456 Business Visa (non-ETA).
You will need to provide:
• a completed application form (see http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/)
• valid passport (and a photocopy of biodata page - the page with your name and photograph - plus any endorsements, eg extension or name change)
• information about the business that you propose to undertake in Australia and your business background in the country in which you work
• evidence of funds, such as a bank statement, showing a history of savings
• confirmed flight itinerary (booking slip) and accommodation booking
• PR card/employment pass etc.
• one passport sized photo
• Visa Application Charge (Fee) (see http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/990i.htm)
Apply for your business visa at least 5 working days before you plan to travel.
Some nationalities also require additional documentation and may take up to 2 weeks to process.
TRAVELLING TO AUSTRALIA ON BUSINESS? THE AUSTRALIAN TRADE COMMISSION CAN HELP YOU FIND SUPPLIERS OF QUALITY GOODS AND SERVICES. See: http://www.singapore.embassy.gov.au/sing/trade.html