Visas and Immigration

Latest news

Scammers targeting Work and Holiday visa ballot registrations

The Department of Home Affairs received concerning reports of scammers targeting Work and Holiday visa ballot registrants who share their personal information online or with unauthorised third parties.

It is your responsibility to protect your personal information. Do not post personal details and identifying information (date of birth, passport number, national ID card, or any other identifiers) on social media or share this information with someone else, as scammers may use your details to commit fraud.

If your identity information has been used by someone else in ImmiAccount, report it using the online technical support form on our website at ImmiAccount Technical Support Form (homeaffairs.gov.au).Please note that we cannot give any updates on individual registrations.

Work and Holiday visa ballot process

The Department of Home Affairs has put in place a visa pre-application (ballot) process for eligible Vietnamese passport holders interested in applying for a first Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa. Information about the visa pre-application (ballot) process can be found on the Department of Home Affairs’ website.

Registrations for the first Work and Holiday (subclass 462) pre-application (ballot) process are currently closed. Eligible Vietnamese passport holders interested in registering in the next first Work and Holiday visa pre-application (ballot) process should visit Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program (homeaffairs.gov.au) where updates to the visa pre-application (ballot) process are announced.

Visa applications

The Department of Home Affairs processes all visa applications for Australia.

You should lodge your application online through ImmiAccount. You can also use ImmiAccount to make a payment, update your details or circumstances, upload supporting documents and track progress of your application.

Visa applications in Vietnam are required to provide their biometric identifiers (digital facial image and fingerprint scan). You will be notified of this requirement when you lodge your visa application in ImmiAccount.

To find your nearest Australian Biometrics Collection Centre, please visit Offices outside Australia.

You may be required to undertake a health check as part of your visa application, depending on your personal circumstances, your location, the type of visa you are applying for and how long you plan to stay in Australia, and what you plan to do in Australia. If you are required to undertake a health examination you will be notified when you lodge your application. For more information on the health requirement please visit Health.

IMPORTANT:

You should apply for your visa well in advance of your intended travel date.

Ensure all supporting documents required for your application are attached at the time of lodgement of your application.

Include English translations of supporting documents.

Please check the current Global visa processing times and ensure you leave sufficient time for processing of your application. We recommend that you do not finalise your travel arrangements until you have a valid visa to travel to Australia. We will not be liable for any financial loss incurred by travellers whose visa application was finalised later than expected, or where an application is not successful.

English translations should be endorsed by the translator with their full name, address, telephone number and details of their translation qualifications. Please also ensure you include a copy of the original document. Failure to provide an English translation of supporting documents may delay processing and result in the document not being considered as part of the visa application.

There are things you can do to make sure that when you submit your visa application it is ‘decision ready’. This will help us process your application faster. If you’re applying for a visa to come to Australia, the following tips will help you get it right the first time for a quicker, smoother visa journey: Check twice, submit once.

Enquiries

Visa and citizenship applications are managed by the Department of Home Affairs. Australian Embassy and Consulate-General staff are unable to assist with general visa or citizenship enquiries.

The Department of Home Affairs website has the most up to date and comprehensive information on applying for visas and citizenship. For information on Australian visas and citizenship, please visit the Home Affairs website.

If you are having trouble locating information on the department’s website, the Digital Assistant may be able to help you find information on Australian visas, citizenship and border entry. Visit the Home Affairs website and click the Ask a question button to get started.

Global Service Centre

If you require additional information, you may telephone the Global Service Centre on +61 2 6196 0196, Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm your local time.

International calls may be subject to charges imposed by your local carrier. You may wish to consider using a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provider to avoid potentially high charges.

Using an interpreter

When you call the GSC, select option 6 to engage a Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) interpreter in your language. Option 6 can be selected straight after dialling the GSC number.

Alternatively, a TIS interpreter can also be engaged directly via:

TIS website: Search | Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) or
Home Affairs website See: Family and friends helping with your application

Contacting the processing office

If you need to make an enquiry about a visa application and cannot find the information on the Home Affairs website you can contact the visa office in Vietnam here: Australian Immigration Enquiry Form.

Compliments, complaints and suggestions

Your feedback is valuable to the Department of Home Affairs. The department use your feedback to improve services and investigate and respond to any issues of concern. You can find more information on the department’s website at Compliments, complaints and suggestions.

Allegations related to suspicious border activities

If it doesn’t feel right, flag it anonymously with Border Watch. Border Watch is the single collection point for the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Border Force (ABF) for allegations related to suspicious border activities and is not limited to immigration and citizenship. One small observation could help stop a much larger border crime. You can report suspicious immigration, customs and border related activity via the Border Watch Online Report.

Visa applicants under 18 years old of age

Where children under 18 years of age intend to travel to Australia, their non-accompanying parent(s) or person(s) with parental responsibility (anyone who can lawfully determine where the child/children is/are to live) is required to sign a consent form to give permission for the child/children to be granted an Australian visa.

If one parent, or person(s) with parental responsibility, has lawfully been made solely responsible for making decisions as to where the child/children is/are to live, then only that parent or person needs to sign the consent form and provide the required documentation.

You can download the consent form here.

The visa application must also include the identity documents (National Identity Card or Passport) of the non-accompanying parent(s) or legal guardian(s) who give consent for the child/children to travel to Australia.

The consent form must be certified by the local People’s Committee or a notary office in Vietnam (or relevant country) that they have confirmed the identity of the person providing the consent and that the consent documents have been signed before them.

Please note that under the Vietnamese law, consent for the visa grant is still required from legal parents who are divorced or separated, uncontactable or declared to be missing by courts, unless a specific court order has been obtained permitting the removal of the child.

If the above-mentioned documents cannot be submitted, a court order from Australia or Vietnam permitting the removal of the child is required as evidence that the minor applicant can be granted a visa.

Visa applicants travelling as representative of a foreign government

Government representatives travelling for official purposes should apply for the Business Visitor stream.

Include with your application evidence that you are intending to visit as part of your duties representing a government:

A letter of invitation from the Australian-based company or organisation
Vietnamese officials must include a Third Person Note from the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hanoi, or the Department of Foreign Affairs - Ho Chi Minh City, stating the reason for your travel as a government official
Other representatives of foreign governments should provide a letter from your Embassy/Consulate or government.

Before submitting your application online ensure that you answer yes to the question ‘Is the applicant travelling as a representative of a foreign government or travelling on a United Nations Laissez-Passer?’ at the Special category of entry section.

Citizenship facilitation letter

The Australian Embassy and Australian Consulate-General are unable to provide facilitation letters or certificates of nationality for children born in Vietnam to Australian parents or to one parent of Australian nationality and one parent of another nationality.

The Embassy and Consulate-General understand that local authorities in Vietnam have sometimes requested parents to produce ‘facilitation letters’ or ‘certificates of nationality’ to obtain a birth certificate for their child.

Under Australian law, a child born outside Australia to an Australian citizen parent is not automatically an Australian citizen. They are required to lodge an application for Citizenship by Descent with the Australian Government and await a decision regarding citizenship.

Last updated 19.03.2025