NEW AUSTRALIAN VISA CATEGORY FOR AMERICANS

UNCLAS CANBERRA 001118 SIPDIS DEPT FOR CA/VO/F/P, CA/VO, AND CA/EX E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CVIS CPAS CMGT AS SUBJECT: NEW AUSTRALIAN VISA CATEGORY FOR AMERICANS ¶1. (U) A letter to the Charge' from the Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) Temporary Entry Branch Assistant Secretary Arja Keski-Nummi, announced that starting July 1, 2005, in addition to the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA),American citizens will be able to apply on the Internet, through the eVisa system, for a Tourist Visa (subclass 676) that will allow for stays in Australia for periods of up to twelve months. ¶2. (U) Michael O'Leary in DIMIA's Tourism Delivery Support office, informed Conoff on June 28 that DIMIA, in an effort to streamline business, was offering this new visa option to all ETA-eligible countries and regions, which includes the U.S., the UK, Canada, most of Western Europe, and a few Asian countries (a full list of ETA-eligible countries can be found at www.eta.immi.gov.au). The GOA is also extending this option to other countries that already have access to the 3-month online visa application: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Macedonia, Hungary, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Slovakia, and Slovenia. O'Leary said DIMIA's aim was to eventually have as many products as possible available online. ¶3. (U) The 12-month Tourist Visa application will be more in depth than the ETA, with a longer form requiring more information. Some applicants could be asked to attach online or mail in additional documentation. A successful application will be visa-label free, meaning that no physical visa will be attached to the traveler's passport. The cost of this 12-month visa application is $A65 ($US50). ¶4. (U) DIMIA has notified, Angus Pryor, its principal migration officer at the Australian Embassy in Washington, about the new visa class and the information will be available on DIMIA's website starting July 1. O'Leary said DIMIA was very keen to promote the availability of this 12-month visa and would pursue additional methods of outreach in the future. ¶5. (U) Considering these changes in visas for American citizens, post suggests that it may be the appropriate time to review the reciprocal fees for some visa categories, in particular B1/B2 (60 months),J, F, and M visas. STANTON