With a tourist visa, your parents can only enter Australia for tourism or business purposes and stay for a short time – usually three months.
If you had your parent come to the country with a tourist visa, they are expected to leave Australia at least a day before the expiring date of their visa.
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In a situation where they need to stay in the country beyond their current visa’s expiring date, there are rules they must follow.
Australia’s immigration laws are very clear and vary depending on the type of visa issued to you.
Can an Australia visitor visa be extended?
Yes, you can extend your Australian visitor visa under certain circumstances. There is an option for extension but to get an extension, your visa must be eligible for an extension according to the Australian Department of Home Affairs.
To extend your visa in Australia, you need to apply for and get a new visa. A visa extension is the same as getting a new visa.
When you want to stay beyond your current visa validity, you have to apply for and get a new visa for you to continue to stay in the country beyond your current visa validity.
However, your visa category must be eligible for an extension before you can extend it.
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You need to check your current visa condition to know if you can extend your stay – these conditions are set when the visa was issued.
Can I extend my parents tourist visa in Australia?
Yes, you can extend your parents’ tourist visa in Australia if their current visa is eligible for extension (doesn’t have “no further stay” condition attached to it) and if they have a genuine intention to stay in the country beyond their allowed time.
To extend their visa, you must check the specific conditions of their current visa and apply for an extension before the current visa expires.
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Check your parent’s visa conditions
Once your parents receive approval for their visa to Australia, you need to check the conditions attached to their visa.
Visa conditions outline the rights and obligations of visa holders during their stay in Australia.
For instance, they are not allowed to work while on a tourist visa in Australia, the same rules apply to visa holders with “no further stay” conditions.
Check if your parent has this “no further stay” condition attached to their visa, they can’t extend their stay.
The “No Further Stay” condition, also known as Condition 8503, is a restriction that is applied to some Australian visas, including tourist visas.
This condition prohibits visa holders from applying for another visa (an extension) while they are in Australia, except in very limited and exceptional circumstances.
For example, if someone holds a tourist visa with a “No Further Stay” condition, they cannot apply for another tourist visa to extend their stay.
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In addition, they are also not allowed to apply for another type of visa like a student visa, or a work visa, while they are in Australia.
They would need to leave the country before applying for another visa from outside Australia.
Although, not all tourist visas have the “No Further Stay” condition attached to them.
However, if this “No Further Stay” condition is included in a visa, the holder can only extend the visa under very strict conditions.
Such as:
- If the visa holder can provide compelling reasons for needing to stay in Australia, such as a serious illness or family emergency.
- If there have been significant changes in the visa holder’s circumstances that were unforeseen and beyond their control, such as a sudden change in health or personal situation.
- If the visa holder becomes eligible for humanitarian or protection visas due to circumstances like persecution, violence, or human rights violations in their home country.
- If the visa holder is required by law or a court order to remain in Australia, such as ongoing legal proceedings or custody arrangements.
- If there are official requests from Australian government authorities or international organizations for the visa holder to stay in the country for specific reasons, such as assisting in critical situations.
In this situation, you need to apply for a waiver – to remove the “No Further Stay”.
If there are compelling reasons that justify your continued stay, you can request a waiver of the “No Further Stay” condition from the Department of Home Affairs.
Apply for a waiver for your parents
To request a waiver, you need to provide strong evidence and compelling reasons to support your case.
You can apply for a waiver by completing the waiver form here.
Make sure to apply for the waiver at least four weeks before your visa ends.
You can check your visa expiration date and conditions on the VEVO platform.
Wait for a waiver decision
Once you submit a waiver, the Department of Home Affairs will review your waiver request along with the documents you provided to support your request.
They will assess whether your case meets the criteria for a waiver of the “No Further Stay” condition.
If they are convinced by your parent’s reasons to stay back in the country, they will grant their waiver request.
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If they are not convinced that your parents have enough reason to extend their stay, their request will be denied and they won’t be allowed to extend their tourist visa once it expires.
Apply for your parent’s visa extension
In a situation where there is no “no further stay” condition on your parent’s tourist visa, you can easily apply for a new visa to extend their stay in the country.
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Eligibility for Visa Extension
With no “no further stay” condition, your parents must meet the following conditions to apply for an extension of their tourist visa.
- Their current visa must be valid: To be eligible for a visa extension, your parents must hold a valid tourist visa for Australia.
- They must have a genuine intention to stay: They must have a genuine intention to continue their stay in Australia for tourism purposes only and not for other activities such as work or study.
- They must have complied with their current visa terms: Your parents must have complied with all the conditions of their current tourist visa – if they haven’t obeyed the terms of their current visa, they won’t be granted another visa (an extension).
- They must provide proof of funds: This is very important – They should have sufficient funds to support themselves during their extended stay in Australia without relying on government assistance.
How you can apply for a visa extension
Timing is very important: You must start the application early enough, at least four weeks before their current visa expires.
Apply online: The easiest way to apply for a tourist visa extension is online through the Department of Home Affairs website.
Your parents will need to create an ImmiAccount (or log into their already created account) and follow the instructions to submit their application.
Required documents for Australian tourist visa extension
They need the following documents for the extension.
-
- Current passport details
- Evidence of financial capacity to support the extended stay
- Health insurance coverage for the extended period
- Any additional documents requested by the Department of Home Affairs
Application Fee: There is a non-refundable fee you need to pay when applying for an extension.
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No guarantee of approval: One important thing you need to know abut the extension is that; applying for a visa extension does not guarantee approval.
The Department of Home Affairs will assess each application based on its merits and compliance with visa requirements.
In addition, Tourist visas in Australia have a maximum stay limit, if your parents have already reached this limit, they will not be eligible for further extensions and need to exit and re-enter Australia after a certain period.
Extending your parent’s tourist visa is possible if they meet the requirements and if there is no “no further stay” condition attached to their visa.
Can I renew my Australian tourist visa before it expires?
No, you cannot renew your Australian tourist visa. You must apply for a new visa if you wish to extend your stay in Australia.
Reason to extend visitor visa in Australia
You can extend your visitor visa in Australia for reasons like illness, political unrest – maybe there is a problem in your country and you cannot go back home, if there is an order by the governement like in time of health challenge or if you need to attend to an urgent issue.
How long can parents stay on a visitor visa in Australia?
Your parents can stay for up to three months or more on a visitor visa, the duration of their stay depends on the visa subclass and their circumstances.
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If you’re applying for an extension and need assistance, you can reach out to the immigration authorities.