Visa holders – Leaving Australia and returning again
You have your visa to Australia. Whether it’s a temporary visa (like a tourist visa) or a permanent visa (like a partner visa), most of those who came to Australia from Philippines is thinking of returning some day. Regardless of how much your Filipina lady loves Australia, she will want to visit her family again some day. It’s a Filipino thing. The question comes up about whether this will cause problems.
Single-entry versus multiple-entry
A visa can be either single-entry or multiple-entry. It means pretty much how it sounds.
Single-entry means you can enter Australia once only. Even if it was a 3 month stay, if you arrive today and leave tomorrow…..then that’s it! One single entry to Australia only. Back to Philippines where she needs another visa before she can travel again.
Multiple-entry means you can enter and leave pretty much as often as you like. The visa doesn’t end when you leave. You may return, in accordance with the conditions of the visa grant. It may have a last date to enter (must not arrive after). It may have an expiry date. It may have a maximum stay period. But basically as long as you abide by those conditions, you can arrive and leave.
Must not arrive after: If this is a multiple entry visa (and unless this date is ALSO the expiry date) you may arrive on this last date to arrive and you may stay.
Stay period: This means the longest period you may stay. If this is multiple entry, it means “per visit” and not “per visa”.
Travel facility: This will either say “single” or “multiple”. This is how you know if it’s multiple or single entry.
How is the “stay period” actually measured?
It’s normally set out in months. And months means months. 3 months means 3 months. It does NOT mean 90 days! And it’s date-to-date. If you arrive on 5 March for a 3 month stay, then you need to leave on 5 June or before.
And the stay period starts and finishes at the Australian airport! If you leave at 10:00pm from Manila on the 5th of March and arrive in Sydney at 4:00am on the 6th of March, then your stay period started on 6th of March! And if it’s a 3 month stay period, you need to leave at the Australian airport on or before 6th June!
What if you overstay?
OK, you have two scenarios:
Less than 28 days
They will most likely cancel the visa, but nothing else. However it will still sit on your record, and may influence decisions about granting visas again in the future.
More than 28 days
They will cancel the visa, and under PIC 4014 (Migration Regulations 1994) issue a 3 year ban from applying for further tourist visas.
Note: This ban doesn’t prevent you from applying for partner visas.
So obviously don’t do it! Look at the visa grant letter. This is your responsibility. And monitor those essential dates. Don’t assume that Down Under Visa will be watching the calendar for you. We have enough to do!
Leaving Australia and returning again
Where you can go to, and can you take a boat cruise?
When your visa conditions require you to leave Australia before you return, then you must do this. Don’t even think about overstaying, as I said above. The consequences can affect you long into the future.
When you are required to leave Australia at the end of a stay, such as when you are on a multiple-entry tourist visa, then leave Australia you must do!
Do you need to return to the Philippines? Not necessarily. If you would rather spend a few days in Bali or go shopping in Hong Kong, then feel free. You just need to make sure of two different things:
- Does she (or the accompanying sponsor) need a visa to where they’re going? Many ask about New Zealand. A Filipino needs a visa! Can’t just arrive there. Do your homework beforehand.
- Are you actually leaving Australia?
The last issue particularly applies to taking boat cruises. Taking a boat ride is not always “leaving the country”, and if you don’t leave the country then you will breach visa conditions. This applies to larger cruise ships that take “round trips” and come back to the same port as the one they departed from.
So even if you got off the boat at Vanuatu and in Fiji, it’s possible and highly likely that if you got back on the same boat and went back to the same port in Australia that you technically never left Australia. However if you flew back or if you went back to another port in Australia then possibly you did leave Australia.
And if you don’t leave Australia when you’re supposed to, you could have inadvertently overstayed your visa!
Our advice has always been this: Ask the cruise company! Ask them if you will be effectively leaving Australia if you go on the cruise. Don’t guess, and don’t take a risk.
Happy travels!
Further Reading
How to get a tourist visa to Australia from Philippines
Tourist visas for couples? In most cases, no problem!
Can I get a 1 year tourist visa for my Filipina lady?
Who are Down Under Visa? Who is Jeff Harvie?
Jeff Harvie and the Down Under Visa team have been doing this for a lot of years! Down Under Visa have brought thousands of couples to Australia from South East Asia over the years. Mostly from the Philippines, but we help increasing numbers of couples where the visa applicant is from China, Thailand, Vietnam or Cambodia. And what this means is we see a lot of success....and we also see failures when people go it alone after talking to their mate, or their relative, or that minimal-care-no-responsibility Facebook group run by Steve and Maribeth based on their own visa application! One application, and they feel qualified to advise others! It's not even LEGAL to do that!
Want to bring your sweetheart to Australia from The Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia or Southeast Asia? Get a FREE VISA ASSESSMENT today! It will take you five minutes.
