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Australian Visa Application Centre will be closed
from 31 January 2012
The Australian High Commission advises that the Australian Visa Application Centre in Sylhet will be closed from 31 January 2012.
Please note that, from 1 February 2012, all visa applicants will need to attend the Australian Visa Application Centre in Dhaka
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Review of Visa Application Charges on 1 January 2012
Changes to Visa Application Charges application received on or after 1 January 2012
Visa application charges and other fees have changed from 1 January 2012 in accordance with decisions made by the Australian Government.
New charges and fees will apply to any application received on or after 1 January 2012. Your visa application cannot be accepted at the AVAC if an amount less than the correct fee is provided.
Applicants intending to pay by bank draft or arrange payment through an immigration office in Australia should be aware that the visa fee may change in the time between arranging the payment and lodging your application.
For example: You may have to pay for any increase in the visa fee if:
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you arrange for a bank draft before 1 January 2012 and lodge your application overseas after 1 January 2012; or |
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The visa fee is paid in Australia before1 January 2012 and you lodge your application overseas after 1 January 2012 |
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“Important announcements For Student Visa Application implemented from 5th November 2011 “
The Australian Government has implemented the first changes in its response to the Student Review conducted by Michael Knight.
Full information can be found on the department's website here http://www.immi.gov.au/students/knight/
All visa applicants should ensure that they are using the current application form and checklist.
Acceptable exchange rate
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From 5 November 2011, the Australian High Commission will no longer set an acceptable exchange rate for student visa applicants. |
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Students will need to provide a printout from an exchange website – www.oanda.com |
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The printout must be done in the 2 days prior to the application lodgment (i.e. the day of or the day before lodgment) |
Cessation of PVA
From 5 November, the AHC will no longer use the PVA process. AHC will expect clients to lodge a Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE) at the time the application is lodged.
Cessation of 'Sighting'
VFS will no longer make appointments for students to sight the original documents at Australian High Commission. Students will be contacted directly by the AHC for interview and will be expected to provide all relevant documents to AHC directly at the time of interview. |
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Review of Visa Application Charges on 1 July 2011
Increase to Visa Application Charges application received on or after 1 July 2011.
Visa application charges and other fees have increased from 1 July 2011 in accordance with decisions made by the Australian Government.
New charges and fees will apply to any application received on or after 1 July 2011. Your visa application cannot be accepted at the AVAC if an amount less than the correct fee is provided.
Applicants intending to pay by bank draft or arrange payment through an immigration office in Australia should be aware that the visa fee may change in the time between arranging the payment and lodging your application.
For example: You may have to pay for any increase in the visa fee if:
- you arrange for a bank draft before 1 July and lodge your application overseas after 1 July; or
- The visa fee is paid in Australia before1 July and you lodge your application overseas after 1 July.
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Biometrics in Offshore Visa Processing
The Australian Government is introducing biometrics collection into the offshore visa application process.
From 5 December 2010 all clients, regardless of nationality, lodging paper-based visa applications in Bangladesh, will be need to attend an Australian VFS Visa Application Centre in Dhaka in person to lodge their application and provide their biometrics. A 10-digit fingerprint scan and a facial photograph will be collected.
For a list of visa subclasses that require biometrics to be collected from visa applicants see:
Inclusions list
Visa applicants who are eligible for and are granted an electronic visa will not need to provide biometrics.
Some persons are exempt from providing biometrics, for example Heads of State and accredited diplomats. For categories of applicants exempt or excluded from biometric data collection, see:
Exemptions and exclusions
Please note: At this stage clients will not be charged an additional fee for the collection of biometrics.
Applicants under 15 years of age or an incapable person who is unable to provide a fingerprint scan, will only need to provide a facial photograph.
If an applicant is incapable or less than 18 years of age, a parent or legal guardian will be asked to give consent and be present when biometrics are collected.
For more information, visit Biometrics Collection outside Australia
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Your personal identifying information |
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Australian Visa Application Centre change of address
As of 5 December 2010, the Australian VFS Visa Application Centre has moved from its current location in Dhaka
The Australian Visa Application Centers are located at:
VFS Dhaka
ZN Tower, 1st floor
Plot#2, Road #8
Block SW(1)
Gulshan Avenue
Dhaka 1212
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Review of Visa Application Charges
Visa Application Charges are reviewed on 1 July each year. A number of Visa Application Charges and other fees will increase on 1 July 2011 in accordance with decisions made by the Australian Government.
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Protect yourself from Migration fraud
All visa applicants and potential migrants are requested to be aware of migration scammers and people who may be seeking to take advantage of your circumstances.
An information kit on how you may protect yourself may be found at the DIAC website
Further information on migration fraud, stories of victims, email and internet scams, and how you may obtain help is available on the DIAC website. |
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Application Forms are now “Fillable” Online
Most of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship's forms are now in Portable Document Format (PDF), which are "fillable" on its website at. The new forms are identical in appearance to the previous downloadable forms but the difference is that clients can now complete these forms on their own computer and then print, sign and lodge their applications.
It needs to be noted, however, that these forms cannot yet be lodged electronically. Although clients can download and save copies of the basic PDF forms to their own computers, they will not be able to save any of the information they have entered into these forms unless they have a full version of Adobe Acrobat Professional (not the free Adobe Reader) installed on their computer.
When a client opens any of the fill able forms using the free Adobe Reader, they will be presented with the following alert message: "Please Note: You cannot save a completed copy of this form on your computer. If you would like a copy for your records, please fill in and print it."
If the client has a full version of Adobe Acrobat Professional installed on their computer, the alert message will not appear.
The benefits to clients of using fill able forms include (i) helping to reduce processing times because DIAC officers will no longer struggle to read illegible handwriting; and (ii) ensuring only the latest versions of application forms are used.
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