Differentiating between eVisitor Visa 651 and Visitor Visa 600

Australia is one of the best foreign travel destinations. The nation is home to a number of beautiful locations, including the Red Sea, the Sydney Opera House, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. According to tourist statistics for 2019, Australia received about 9.3 million international visitors. The Australian government has forecast an increase in travelers in 2023. The travel industry influences the GDP of the country. Every year, the Department of Home Affairs receives thousands of visitor visa applications. Here, we’ll compare an eVisitor Subclass 651 Visa with a Visitor Visa 600 to see which is better for you and why.

What is eVisitor Visa 651?

An eVisitor Visa is valid for up to 12 months, but it lets you spend up to 3 months at a time. In other words, this visa allows you to enter Australia multiple times until it is valid, but each time you cannot spend more than 3 months consecutively there.

What is Visitor Visa 600?

A Visitor Visa is valid for 12 months to meet family, and friends, or travel around. You can stay in Australia for 3, 6, or 12 months.

Comparison between a Visitor Visa 600 and an eVisitor Visa 651

If you have doubts about selecting between these tourist visas to Australia, comparing them is one of the best solutions. You can compare their eligibility to learn which one is suitable for you.

Duration

As it has mentioned above, both visas are valid for up to 12 months. A Visitor Visa 600 allows you to stay 3,4, 6, and 12 months continuously, whereas an eVisitor Visa lets you stay not more than three months at a time in a year. However, you can visit multiple times to Australia and spend only three months each time. Looking at this duration to stay, a Visitor Visa 600 seems much more attractive than an eVisitor Visa.

Availability

An eVisitor Visa is not available for visitors from every country. In other words, if you are a citizen or a passport holder of a country like France, Andorra, Cyprus, Switzerland, or Norway, you can apply for this visa. The eligible countries’ list is available on the Department of Home Affairs’ official website on the eVisitor Visa page.

This is not the case with a Visitor Visa 600. No matter wherever you live, you can apply for this visa. As a result, it seems much more attractive as compared to an eVisitor Visa.

Purpose to Visit

An eVisitor Visa is available to travel around Australia, visit family or friends living in Australia, or use it as a business visitor.

The Visitor Visa offers the same opportunities, depending on the stream you have applied under it.

Types of Streams or Flexibility

When you apply for an eVisitor Visa, you don’t have the flexibility to choose a suitable stream because it has no further stream to apply for. As a result, it doesn’t give you the freedom to choose a suitable visa for yourself.

The Visitor Visa 600 has more than two streams to choose from. Each one is distinct from one another to some extent.

It has two types of Tourism Streams. One allows you to apply while living in Australia and another is to apply while outside Australia. The cost to apply for the Tourism Stream is varied. You can notice a difference in approval duration between them.

The Sponsored Family Stream allows you to visit Australia if any of your eligible family members living in Australia sponsor you. The Department may ask to pay for a security bond other than the visa application form.

The Business Visitor Stream allows you to visit Australia for business reasons. However, with this visa, you cannot sell goods and start a business. It allows you to conduct business inquiries, and participate in business activities.

The Approved Destination Stream is for Chinese citizens who visit Australia with an organized tour group.

The Frequent Travel Stream is also for Chinese citizens who travel often to Australia for business reasons.

Processing Times

The processing time of the eVisitor Visa is less than one day. 90% of the total applications approve within a day. It is one of the biggest advantages of this visa.

For a Visitor Visa 600, the processing times may vary depending on a case-by-case basis and the type of stream you have applied for. For the Tourist Stream (apply from outside Australia), the processing times may take 4 days or up to 35 days.

If you want to learn more about an eVisitor or Visitor Visa for Australia, you can get in touch with a reputed immigration agency. Such an agency has a team of experts who first analyze your eligibility and interest to recommend a suitable visa. Here you can clear all your doubts.