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Business Visas (non-ETA)

Short Stay Business Visitor visas (subclasses 456 and 459) and the Business Electronic Travel Authority ETA (956 and 977) allow business people to visit Australia to conduct business activities (eg. to attend conferences and meetings or to undertake business negotiations and exploratory visits).

These visas do not allow for employment or ongoing work in Australia and carry a condition that states the visa holder “must not engage in work in Australia that might otherwise be carried out by an Australian citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident”. 
 

Business Visitor visas may be considered in some circumstances where the visit involves work that is short term (less than 6 weeks), not able to be undertaken by an Australian and the work is highly specialised in nature or the work is an emergency or urgent and the employment is not ongoing. This provision does not cover unskilled or semi-skilled work. 

If you are not the holder of a passport from an ETA-eligible country, you cannot obtain a business ETA and would need to apply for a sub-class 456 Short Stay Business Visa (non-ETA).

To make an application

See: Business visitor checklist 
 

These visas are not intended to be work visas and, as such, do not involve the same obligations on employers through a sponsorship which is designed to offer protection from exploitation and protect the interests of Australian workers. 

The appropriate visa for people who are travelling to Australia to undertake employment or skilled work is the subclass 457 Temporary Business (Long Stay) visa.

See: www.immi.gov.au/skilled/skilled-workers/visa-temporary.htm.

The 457 visa has a range of safeguards designed to ensure that sponsors are aware of their obligations and abide by them when bringing overseas skilled workers to Australia. These arrangements provide protection for workers from exploitation (eg. through underpayment, excessive work hours or inappropriate conditions).

Service Standards 

Business visitor visa applicants should plan ahead and apply well in advance of their intended travel, to allow for additional checking if required in some circumstances. The standard processing time is 5 working days. If additional checking is required, you will be advised about this at time of lodging the application. Whilst itineraries may be required, it is also recommended that you do not pay for travel prior to visa approval. 

Important Note! Where possible, straightforward applications may be decided on-the-spot at time of lodgement to avoid applicants having to attend the High Commission a second time for passport collection. The discretion to do so rests entirely with the Immigration Section management depending on seasonal busy periods, whether the application is well-supported by evidence, complexity of the application and operational demands on the day. Even if your application was decided on-the-spot last time, you should still allow for a minimum of 5 working days. 

TRAVELLING TO AUSTRALIA ON BUSINESS? THE AUSTRALIAN TRADE COMMISSION CAN HELP YOU FIND SUPPLIERS OF QUALITY GOODS AND SERVICES.

See: www.singapore.embassy.gov.au/sing/trade.html