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Frequently Asked Questions
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| 1. Is this service only
for Bangladesh citizens?
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| No: all non-Australian citizens will
find it more convenient to use this service. Please note, however, that if you
are eligible for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) and you wish to visit
Australia only for less than 3 months then you can apply for an ETA on-line.
See Questions 21 and 22 below.
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| 2. Who needs a visa to
enter Australia?
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| All persons, other than Australian
citizens and New Zealand citizens travelling on a New Zealand passport require
a visa or authority to enter Australia.
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| 3. Where can I lodge my
visa application?
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| Visa applications should be lodged
with the VFS office in Dhaka.
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| 4. Which visa
applications do I lodge with VFS?
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| All visa applications that were
previously lodged directly with the Australian High Commission, Dhaka (with the
exception of refugee and humanitarian visa applications) should be lodged with
the VFS, Dhaka. Please note that applications for a number of categories of
provisional residence and permanent residence in Australia (including business
skills migration, general skilled migration and parent migration) must be
lodged in Australia. Full details are provided on the website of the Department
of Immigration and Citizenship www.immi.gov.au.
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| 5. What applications
should be lodged with the Australian High Commission, Dhaka?
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The only visa applications that
should be lodged directly with the Australian High Commission are applications
for a refugee or humanitarian visa, and applications for a diplomatic visa (for
accredited diplomatic personnel).
Also, applications for things other than visas should continue to be lodged at
the Australian High Commission: application for registration of citizenship to
a child born outside Australia to an Australian parent, application for grant
of Australian citizenship, and requests to print a visa label for a visa
granted to you in Australia or another country.
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| 6. Can I make an
appointment?
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| To avoid queues, you may make an
on-line appointment to attend the VFS office.
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| 7. Where do I get visa
application forms?
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| You can download visa application
forms free of charge from the website of the Department of Immigration and
Citizenship www.immi.gov.au or request them at the VFS counter.
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| 8. How do I pay?
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| Payment can be made by demand draft
drawn in favour of Australian High Commission. A demand draft can be purchased
against cash from the VFS office from a representative of BRAC Bank. The Cost
of each demand draft is Taka 230. You will receive a receipt that will clearly
show how much of your payment is for the Australian Government's Visa
Application Charge (VAC).
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| 9. What is the VAC?
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| The VAC depends on the type of visa
you are seeking. A list of VACs for the most common types of visa available is
shown on this website. A full list of VAC can be found on www.immi.gov.au.
Please note that the VAC is non-refundable even if your visa application is
refused or withdrawn.
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| 10. Is there a service
charge?
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| Yes, the current charge is Taka 750
per application. Your receipt will clearly show how much of your payment is for
the service charge levied by VFS.
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| 11. What is a valid
application?
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To make a valid application for any
visa you must lodge the relevant completed application form signed personally
by the applicant (or, in the case of a person under 16 years of age, by a
parent or guardian) together with the visa application charge by a Demand draft
in favour of Australian High Commission and service charge in cash or in the
form of a demand draft in favour of VFS (Bangladesh) Pvt Ltd
The application form must be the latest acceptable design date which can be
confirmed on www.immi.gov.au
You will need to provide a valid passport with at least 2 unused visa pages.
Please note that visa labels cannot be affixed on additional pages (inserts).
If you have no more unused pages you should obtain a new passport.
You should provide all relevant information and documents together with the
application. Incomplete applications take longer to process and may be refused
because of lack of information.
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| 12. How many
photographs do I need?
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Applications for transit visas,
tourism, family visits, business visits and resident return visas require one
recent passport-size photograph.
If you are required to undergo a medical examination you will need two
additional passport-size photographs. The Australian High Commission will
inform you if you need a medical examination.
Applicants for student visas require three recent passport-size photographs.
Applicants for migration visas (including spouse applications) require four
recent passport-size photographs.
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| 13. What are the
documents required?
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| You can check what documents are
required on the checklists shown on this website. |
| 14. Will I need to have
a medical examination or chest-X ray?
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| All applicants for a visa to
Australia must meet health requirements. Whether you are required to undergo a
medical examination and/or chest x-ray depends on your age, how long you intend
to stay in Australia and your intended activity in Australia. The Australian
High Commission will contact you to schedule a medical appointment if this is
required. VFS staff are not involved in scheduling medical examinations and do
not receive medical information.
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| 15. Will I be called
for an interview?
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| Most applicants for a visa to
Australia will be scheduled for an interview at the Australian High Commission.
VFS staff will schedule the appointment for the next available time. VFS staff
will inform you of the interview time. Attendance at the interview is strongly
encouraged: the Australian High Commission may have questions or may wish to
request you to provide additional information in support of your application.
If you do not attend the interview, a decision will be taken on your
application on the basis of the available (written) information and this
decision may not be favourable. There is a heavy interview workload at the
Australian High Commission and Interviews cannot be re-scheduled. If you attend
the interview, please arrive at the Australian High Commission 15 minutes
before the scheduled time. Please bring all original documents to the
interview.
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| 16. Do I have to leave
my passport with the application?
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| It depends on the type of
application. For transit and visitor visa applications, there is a very short
time between the lodgment of your application and the scheduling of an
appointment at the Australian High Commission: VFS will generally keep your
passport and provide you with a bar-coded receipt. For student, migration and
resident return visa applications, you should keep your passport and take it to
the scheduled interview at the High Commission.
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| 17. How do I find out
about the progress of my application?
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Please do not telephone to find out
about your applications if it is within the usual processing times (these times
are shown on our website). Unnecessary inquiries delay the processing of all
visa applications, including yours. Email is the preferred method for essential
inquiries regarding your visa application. All emails should be sent to
info@vfs-au.com.bd. Please remember to quote your bar code number in
your email to VFS.
Please note that Australian privacy legislation generally prevents the
Australian High Commission from disclosing information about visa applications
to anyone other than the applicant. This means that if someone contacts the
High Commission to inquire on your behalf, the High Commission will not be able
to provide them with any information unless you have provided written
authorisation.
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| 18. Can VFS assist my
application?
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| VFS staff are not permitted to
assist visa applicants to present their claims. VFS is not permitted to endorse
any information contained in an application. VFS staff are not permitted to
discuss reasons for refusal of an application.
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| 19. Who will decide my
application?
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| All decisions continue to be taken by
staff at the Australian High Commission. VFS staff have no involvement in
decision-making.
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| 20. Why was my
application refused?
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| VFS staff have no involvement in
decision-making. The reason(s) for the refusal will be outlined in a letter to
the applicant from the Australian High Commission. VFS staff are not permitted
to discuss reasons for refusal of an application.
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| 21. I am transiting
through Australia to another country but won't be leaving the airport in
Australia. Do I still need a visa?
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| If you are eligible for an Electronic
Travel Authority - see below. If you are not eligible for an Electronic Travel
Authority, then you will require a transit visa. A transit visa will permit you
to stay up to 72 hours in Australia.
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| 22. What is an
Electronic Travel Authority (ETA)?
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An ETA is equivalent to a visa, but
there is no stamp or label in your passport and there is no need to make a
written application at an Australian diplomatic office or partner agency (such
as VFS). If you are eligible for an ETA you can submit applications directly
through the website www.eta.immi.gov.au. In most cases your ETA will be
approved in less than 30 seconds. There is a fee for this service.
You may also apply for the ETA through most travel agencies and airlines that
fly to Australia.
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| 23. Am I eligible for
an ETA?
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You are only eligible to apply for an
ETA while you are outside Australia. To apply through the website, you must
also hold one of the listed ETA-eligible passports: Andorra, Austria, Belgium,
Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein,
Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino,
Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United
States of America, Vatican City.
Holders of Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (GBN) passports are not
eligible to apply for ETA through this site.
You may also apply for the ETA through most travel agencies and airlines that
fly to Australia.
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