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