Australian tourist visa processing streamlined for five Gulf countries
Senator the Hon Amanda Vanstone
Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
Wednesday 17 May 2006
Applying for an Australian tourist visa is now faster and simpler for citizens of five Gulf countries, the Australian Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Amanda Vanstone said today.
“The citizens of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait can now obtain visas to travel to Australia without the need to have a label placed in their passports,” Senator Vanstone said.
“We anticipate this initiative will reduce processing times as most visa applicants will no longer need to send their passport to the Australian Consulate-General in Dubai for processing.”
“The Government will continue to look for ways to improve visa access for the residents of the Gulf.”
Senator Vanstone said the change followed other improvements to visa processing for citizens of the Gulf countries.
“Citizens of these five countries can already apply for an Australian tourist visa over the internet,” the Minister said.
“More staff have been recruited to the Dubai Consulate-General for processing visas.”
In the past five years the number of visitor visa applications received from Gulf countries has almost doubled to more than 20,000 in 2005.
More than 14,000 tourist visas will be processed in June and July by the Australian Consulate-General in Dubai for people wanting to spend their summer holiday in Australia.
The usual tourist visa processing time for applications lodged in Dubai is two weeks. Tourist visas may be valid up to 12 months with multiple entry depending on the applicant’s circumstances.