Latest visitor visa statistics now available
Australia continues to draw high levels of interest from international visitors according to the latest departmental Visitor visa program quarterly report for the period ending 31 March 2013.
The report shows there were more than 247 000 visitor visa holders in Australia at the end of March, an increase of 12 per cent compared to the same time last year.
The department has granted almost three million visitor visas this financial year to 31 March, which is about six per cent higher than last year.
Interest from Asia continues to rise with tourism visa applications from China up 19 per cent (more than 310 000 applications), Malaysia up 14 per cent (more than 149 000 applications) and applications from Singapore up almost 29 per cent (more than 107 000 applications).
The report also outlines the key initiatives for the visitor visa program in 2012–13, including the simplification of the visitor visa group to five new visitor visa subclasses on 23 March.
Further enhancements are planned for the visitor visa program with the expansion of online visitor visa applications later in the year. These enhancements will make it possible for visitors from a growing list of countries to apply for their visa online.
Record interest in Australia’s visitor visa programs
New reports from the department show that Australia experienced record interest from international visitors and working holiday makers in 2012.
In the second half of 2012, just under two million visitor visas were granted, an increase of almost six per cent compared to the same period last year.
Interest from Asia is on the rise too—tourism visa applications from China increased by 16.5 per cent or more than 194 000 applications and applications from Singapore showed an increase of almost 29 per cent or more than 81 000 applications. There were more than 400 000 visitor visa holders in Australia at the end of 2012.
More than 220 000 working holiday maker (WHM) visas were granted in 2011–12 and the program appears set for another big year in 2012–13. In the second half of 2012, more than 136 000 WHM visas were granted, an increase of more than 23 per cent compared to the same period last year. At the end of 2012 there were more than 162 000 working holiday makers in Australia.
The top five countries for WHM visa grants in the second half of 2012 were the United Kingdom, Taiwan, South Korea, Germany and France.
The latest visitor visa report and working holiday maker report are now available on our website.
Emergency Alert—being aware this summer
This guest post was written by the Attorney-General’s Department. 
Are you travelling to Australia this summer? Did you know that emergency services in Australia have an emergency telephone warning system they may use to warn people if there is a disaster nearby?
Emergency Alert sends voice warnings to landline telephones and SMS text warnings to mobile phones based on the physical address of the owner and the location of some mobile phones at the time of an emergency.
If you are an international visitor to Australia (using global roaming on your phone) and you’re in an area threatened by a bushfire, cyclone, flood, or any other kind of disaster, you may receive a telephone warning from emergency services advising you of the emergency and what you should do next. This will depend on the networks with which your mobile phone provider is affiliated in Australia.
Do not rely solely on receiving a telephone warning—emergency services in Australia have a number of ways to warn communities of a disaster, and an Emergency Alert warning may not always be used. Be aware of conditions and seek further information from radio, TV, and emergency services websites.
Remember, for urgent Police, Fire or Ambulance assistance in a life threatening or emergency situation, call Triple Zero (000).
Further information about Emergency Alert, including fact sheets and DVD videos in other languages, is available from www.emergencyalert.gov.au
Quarterly visitor visa statistics now available
The visitor visa program quarterly report for the period ending June 30 (2012) is now available.
For the nine visitor visa subclasses, the report provides information on applications, grants, arrivals and processing times. Highlights from the report include:
- Tourism visitor visa applications remained steady in 2011–12. A decrease in lodgements from citizens of the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and South Korea were offset by growth in lodgements from citizens of China, India and Indonesia.
- The UK remained the largest source country for tourists to Australia in 2011–12 and China has replaced the USA as the second largest source country.
- Business visitor visa applications increased in 2011–12 by 4.9 per cent compared to 2010–11 and included an increase in applications from citizens of the USA.
- The grant rate for visitor visas for the quarter ending June 30 remained stable at 96.9 per cent, compared with 97 per cent for the same quarter in 2011.
- In the quarter ending June 30, there were 22 587 subclass 676 visas granted under the Approved Destination Status scheme. This is the highest number of visas granted under the scheme for this quarter in the last five years.
- On June 30, there were 202 265 visitor visa holders in Australia.
The quarterly report for the period ending September 30 is expected to be published in late October.
March 2012 quarterly visitor visa statistics now available
The Visitor Visa Program Quarterly Report for the period ending 31 March 2012 is now available at: www.immi.gov.au/media/statistics/visitor.htm.
For the nine visitor visa subclasses, the report provides information on applications, grants, arrivals and processing times. Highlights from the report include:
- Tourism Visitor visa application lodgements fell by 0.6 per cent in 2011-12 to 31 March compared to the same period in 2010-11 (down from 2 540 382 to 2 526 231). However, lodgements by Chinese citizens continued to grow (up 28.2 per cent to 260 450).
- There were 358 815 Business Visitor visa applications lodged in 2011-12 to 31 March. This was a three per cent increase compared to the same period in 2010-11 (348 371). It can be partially attributed to an increase in applications from the United States of America (up 8.6 per cent to 52 058).
- There were 115 016 Tourist (subclass 676) visas granted under the Approved Destination Status (ADS) scheme in 2011-12 to 31 March. This was a 29.4 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2010-11 (88 893).
- On 31 March 2012, there were 219 672 Visitor visa holders inAustralia.
The quarterly report for the period ending 30 June 2012 is expected to be published in late July 2012.
December 2011 quarterly visitor visa statistics now available
The Visitor Visa Program Quarterly Report for the period ending 31 December 2011 is now available at www.immi.gov.au/media/statistics/visitor.htm
For the nine Visitor visa subclasses, the report provides information on applications, grants, arrivals and processing times. Highlights from the report include:
- Tourism Visitor visa applications fell by 3.1 per cent in 2011-12 to 31 December compared to the same period in 2010-11 (down from 1 759 797 to 1 704 779). This largely reflects a decline in applications by Japanese and UK citizens. Lodgements by Chinese citizens continue to grow (up 27.8 per cent to 166 721 applications).
- 237 529 business Visitor visa applications were lodged in 2011-12 to 31 December. This is a 6.1 per cent increase over the same period in 2010-11 (223 879 applications).
- There were 64 900 subclass 676 visas granted under the Approved Destination Status (ADS) scheme in 2011-12 to 31 December 2011. This is a 29.8 per cent increase over the same period in 2010-11 (49 984 grants).
- On 31 December 2011, there were 367 413 Visitor visa holders inAustralia.
The quarterly report for the period ending 31 March 2012 is expected to be published in late April 2012.
Quarterly visitor visa statistics now available
The second Visitor Visa Program Quarterly Report for the period ending 30 September 2011 is now available at www.immi.gov.au/media/statistics/visitor.htm
For the nine Visitor visa subclasses, the report provides information on applications, grants, arrivals and processing times. Highlights from the report include:
- An 11.5 per cent increase in business Visitor visa applications in the September 2011 quarter (123 888) compared to the same quarter in 2010 (111 138) with the largest increase in Business (Short Stay) (subclass 456) visa lodgements, which increased 16.8 per cent. This is the highest number of subclass 456 lodgements for this quarter in the last five years.
- A decrease in Visitor visa grants by 4.3 per cent in the September 2011 quarter (854 279) compared with the same period in 2010 (892 962). This is largely due to weaker tourist demand from Japan, United Kingdom, United States of America, Malaysia and South Korea.
- There were 26 389 visas granted under the Approved Destination Status (ADS) scheme during the September 2011 quarter. This is the highest number of visas granted under the ADS scheme for this quarter in the last four years.
The quarterly report for the period ending 31 December 2011 is expected to be published in late February 2012.
Working Holiday Maker Program Bi-annual Report
The first edition of the “Working Holiday Maker Program Bi-annual Report” is now live on our website (http://www.immi.gov.au/media/statistics/visitor.htm).
The report provides an overview of the working holiday maker visa program, which consists of two visas:
• Working Holiday (subclass 417) – first and second
• Work and Holiday (subclass 462)
The report contains general information about the visa program as well as statistics relating to visa applications, grants, source countries, processing times, growth rates within the program, and more.
By making this information publicly available and easy to find online, DIAC is improving information sharing and transparency for our visa programs.
This report will be posted to the DIAC website twice yearly.
Visitor Visa Program Quarterly Report
The inaugural Visitor Visa Program Quarterly Report is now available. The report provides information about the nine visa subclasses that are within the Visitor visa program. The aim is to increase the openness, accountability and accessibility to statistics in relation to the Visitor visa program, and will be of particular interest to the tourism industry.
The report provides information on applications, grants, arrivals and processing times.
The report highlights that Visitor visa grants increased by 2.8 per cent in 2010-11 compared to 2009–10. This can be partially attributed to a 31.8 per cent increase in Visitor visas granted to Chinese citizens.
The visa subclasses in the report are:
- Superyacht Crew (subclass 488)
- Business Visitor (short stay) (subclass 456)
- Sponsored Business Visitor (subclass 459)
- eVisitor (subclass 651)
- Tourist (subclass 676)
- Sponsored Family Visitor (subclass 679)
- ETA (Business Entrant—Long Validity) (subclass 956)
- ETA (Business Entrant—Short Validity) (subclass 977)
- ETA (Visitor)(subclass 976).
In response to your feedback, we plan to develop this report further.
Happy reading!
