lapin_windstar

As many people will be aware, Australia has spent the last few years moving away from physical visas (stickers and stamps in passports) to electronic visas. People who are issued electronic visas do not require a sticker in their passport as everything is kept on a secure server: Dept of Immigration & Citizenship and Australian Customs & Border Protection Service can see all the records they need to see online. Employers and visa holders can check their immigration status online through VEVO.

Despite that, the Dept of Immigration & Citizenship has traditionally given visa holders the opportunity of "evidencing" their visa by showing up at a consulate or DIC office and having a visa sticker placed in the passport for free. Many people (inc. me!) have found this useful when dealing with employers, banks, checkin workers at overseas airports and other people that don't know or don't care that everything should be done online now - it just got easier to spend an hour getting the visa sticker than it was to keep explaining the same thing over and over again.

As far as I can see, that looks like it's going to change and visa evidencing is not going to be free any more. There is no announcement on the DIC website but:

1) Chris Bowen, Federal Immigration & Citizenship Minister, says the charge is designed to "chang[e] client and stakeholder behaviour to recognise the validity of electronic confirmation of a person's visa...[and the] visa evidence charge will encourage clients to reconsider their need to have a visa label." I find this wildly unconvincing - I already know electronic confirmation is valid but it's the people that keep asking me for it that need to know it. The charge doesn't achieve that.

2) The relevant bill (not yet passed into law, as far as I can see) says that the charge will be capped at $250: http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/...lication%2Fpdf

3) This article says the charge will be $60: http://www.centiem.com/News/Details....DataSource=108 But this one says $70: http://www.kpmg.com/AU/en/IssuesAndI...0-may-2012.pdf

4) 01 July is the start of the new financial year so I would presume it will get introduced on that date.

This might be a good time for people who anticipate needing a visa sticker to pop into DIC and get it before the end of this month...

(It's been a while since I posted here but I've done a search and didn't see any relevant threads. Apologies if this is a duplicate, in which case just delete/merge it.)

TL;DR? If you're gonna want a visa sticker, get one now while they're still free.

Pollyana

Thanks

There was something about it earlier in the year when it was mentioned that the service would no longer be free, and would probably be $60 (which is the cost for stickers in some classesnow, I forget which ) but not seen anything else since.

moneypenny20

I wonder if Chris Bowen could have a word with Medicare, other 'officials' and some employers and explain the system to them.

Gillianc

Forgive my ignorance but how would we go about getting the sticker if we wanted one?

moneypenny20

Easiest way is to be here and take the passport and grant letter into the nearest DIAC office. At the moment it's a quick, free in and out. If you're overseas, you'd have to send the passport to your issuing office, whether that be your local HC or an office in Australia.

brian.w

im in the uk just got a new passport a couple months ago,my visa label is still in my old passport which i still have.we are applying waiting for my wifes visa and so once they notice my new passport details my new passport will be updated in there system.
I was gonna ask about of get a new label for my new passport but i was told i can use my old and new passport for this no need to get the label,with this mentioned would it be better to?
As its mentioned that its better to be able to show you have this visa etc and save a lot of hassle,my visa does expire next august so i not got much time left on it,but i plan on being to australia before then.
But if its better to get the visa label in the new passport then i will more so if they are gonna charge for it.
So how do i go about getting this done

moneypenny20

When you say next August I assume you mean six weeks time? I'd stick with carrying both, it's far simpler to get the sticker over here compared to being overseas. The airlines/airports have no problem understanding why you'd have two passports.

The airlines/airports also now understand the electronic visa so it shouldn't be an issue if you just carry your new passport as long as you've updated DIAC with the new information. They say there is no need for the sticker because everything links up but once here some agencies such as Medicare still have employers who don't understand VEVO and expect to see a sticker.

If it were me, I'd travel with the two passports and if when you get here decide you do want the sticker then it's easy.

If you do want the sticker before flying, you have to send your new passport together with details of your old one and your grant details to the Issuing office you used to get the first sticker, wherever that may be. However that could take a few weeks if the office is over here and if you need to travel anywhere during that time, you can't.

carling black label

I came through on two passports, old and new.....

It would seem UK passport agency must have told DIAC that i had a new passport issued, as when i got to Brisbane, my visa was electronically linked only to my new passport. I have no label in my new passport...Only a label in my old passport...........

I guess next week i will be paying a visit to here...

http://www.immi.gov.au/contacts/aust...d-brisbane.htm

Get me a new label for free, its only a 20 minute walk from where i am.....

Cheers for the heads up.....

Pollyana

UKPA won't have told them, its not their job and of no interest to them. When you checked in though presumably you used your new passport. It will have been recorded on the DIAC system at check-in

brian.w

next august as in next year.

pumpkin blossom

Maybe I am just lucky, but in the nearly four and a half years I have been here on temp visas, I have never had a problem with using a print out of my electronic visa.

brian.w

i could just do that then use a print out of my visa,if some companies wanted to see proof of it etc which is in my old passport.

moneypenny20

If you take a copy, when you get here, get the copy/ies certified. Can be done quickly, easily and more importantly free, by JPs all around the country. You can find one in most shopping malls on various days.

roaringmouse

Where you find JPs can be different by state - in Qld you find them in shopping centres, here in Victoria they tend to be in Police Stations every or most days.

pumpkin blossom

Far less hassle to just print off a copy of your electronic visa....
Honestly, I have never had a problem with that for anything over here.