Australia Visa Guide for Indian Citizen

Posted by Suraj Khamitakar on November 28th, 2019

Australia is one of the tourism destinations which has started getting growing attention from Indian travellers. Be it for leisure tourism, wildlife tourism, adventure tourism, family/friend visits, etc. We if consider and compare from 2016 to 2017 here has been a considerable growth in the travellers to Australia. The visa which used get processed in 12-15 working days last year is taking more than 25-30 working days this year. The Australian High Commission has also issued a notice that this is due to the heavy rush at the High Commission.

While the Australia visa process is not very critical, there is one thing that all travellers travelling to Australia that can help them save time and money and plan their travel well. Australian visa a requirement for an individual to undergo medical test depending on the duration of stay and age of the applicant. The basic main two criteria are as follows –

1. Duration of Stay in Australia is more than 3 months
2. Age of the applicant is more than 70 years

Let us understand the above criteria in detail –

1. Duration of stay is more than 3 months – When the traveller has a plan to stay more than 3 months in Australia irrespective of the purpose of travel and age of the applicant, one needs to undergo medical tests for the visa application.
2. Age of applicant is more than 70 years – Here the applicant whose age is above 70 years must undergo the medical tests irrespective of the duration of stay.

Below are a few cases to better understand –

1. Applicant X aged 30 years and applicant Y aged 72 years are travelling to Australia for a period of 5 months. Both will have to undergo medical test irrespective of their ages.
2. Applicant X aged 30 years and applicant aged 72 years are travelling to Australia for a period of 1 month. Applicant X is not required to undergo medical test whereas applicant Y will have to go.

At the point when and which medical tests to be finished?

The Traveler must first prepare the set of documents and submit it to the High Commission through a visa agent or personally. Once this is done after a period of a week or so the applicant shall receive an email from the high commission on the registered email ID providing the details of which medical tests are to be done. Most of the applicants have to undergo either or both of the following tests –

1. Medical Examination (501) – covers the entire body examination
2. Chest X-ray (502) – cover only chest x-ray

After receiving this request, the applicant will have to get the medical tests done at one of the registered panel physicians. After it is done the medical reports are sent to the High Commission directly by the physician, and after receiving the same the visa decision is expected in a time frame of 10-15 working days.

Important Notes:

1. An applicant who has to undergo a medical test as per the criteria should start the visa process well in advance as the visa processing takes more time than that of without medical tests.
2. The waiting period for the appointment at the local panel physician can be longer which might delay the process.
3. The applicant does not get any confirmation from the panel physician of the reports sent to the high commission.
4. If there is any medical condition detected in the reports the visa process can get even more extended.