Guidance

Apply for a UK visa in Australia

Updated 14 September 2018

Travelling to the UK from Australia

The UK visa application process in Australia is different from most overseas locations. Please follow the instructions below carefully.

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) operates separately to the UK’s High Commission and consulates in Australia and they will not be able to assist you with any visa related queries.

Visit UKVI to find information and guidance on all aspects of the visa application process. If you have any additional questions, visit UKVI’s customer contact centre where you will find telephone and email details.

How to apply

To apply for a UK visa you need to:

• check which visa you need
• apply online
• pay your fee
• pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (if applicable)
• book and attend your biometric enrolment appointment
• post your passport and supporting documents (Adelaide and Hobart only)

We aim to make a decision on a non-settlement visa application in 15 working days (excluding weekends and UK public holidays). This process begins once you have attended your biometric enrolment appointment or when we have received your passport and supporting documents (for Adelaide and Hobart applications). If you have opted for our priority visa service, your application will be put at the front of the queue and the decision expedited.

Apply no earlier than 3 months before your intended travel date, unless you are applying under the Youth Mobility Scheme, where you can apply up to 6 months before.

Do not book your travel until you receive your visa, as UKVI is not liable for any costs incurred if you do not receive your visa before your intended travel date.

If your visa is valid for more than 6 months, you will be given a 30 day travel window based on the information provided in the application form. If successful, your temporary visa will be valid for 30 days and you will need to travel within this period. If you cannot travel during this 30 day window, you will need to submit an application for a vignette transfer.

Further information about applying in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Canberra is available on our commercial partner website.

Arrangements for UK visa applicants in Adelaide and Hobart

Apply online and:

• book your appointment at one of the following Department of Home Affairs offices listed below
• pay your fee
• attend your appointment to have your photo or fingerprints (known as ‘biometric information’) taken
• post your passport, application form, supporting document and a prepaid return envelope

Adelaide

Dept of Home Affairs
70 Franklin St
Adelaide

Hobart

Dept of Home Affairs
188 Collins Street
Hobart
7000

Once your application is complete and you have enrolled your biometric data, you have 5 days to post your application form, supporting documents, passport, photos and a self-addressed return postage paid envelope to the address provided below.

UK Visas and Immigration
GPO Box 2718
Sydney NSW 2001

This is a PO Box from which your application will be forwarded to a UK visa decision making centre. You cannot attend this address to find out further information about your application.

All applications must have a valid passport with at least 1 page without any endorsements. If the application arrives at the decision making centre without a passport, the application will be refused.

Priority visa service

If you are using the priority service, please inform the officer before your biometrics data is enrolled and show the payment receipt. Failure to do so may result in delays in processing your application.

If applying in Adelaide or Hobart, you should also attach a copy of the priority payment receipt to the documents you send to support your application after your biometric submission.

Apply for a UK settlement visa from Australia

There is a different process for submitting UK settlement visa applications in Australia.

The appendix and all supporting documents should be sent by the sponsor or applicant to:

Settlement Applications, International Operations and Visas
PO Box 5852
Sheffield
S11 0FX
United Kingdom

Post your supporting documents to Sheffield as soon as possible after the online application form has been completed. These should include your unique GWF number. The documents may be sent before you enrol your biometric data and before you submit your passport and application form. When sending supporting documents to Sheffield, make sure you:

• include a photocopy of biometric page of the applicant’s passport at the front of the bundle
• mark the GWF reference number (generated when the application is completed online) and the location of the centre where the application was lodged on the outside of the envelope and the top right-hand corner of the first page of documents
• include a self-addressed return courier envelope for the return of your documents from Sheffield

Your passport and application form will be submitted at the Visa Application Centre (VAC).

Applicants from Adelaide and Hobart will still need to send your passport and application form to:

UK Visas and Immigration
GPO Box 2718
Sydney NSW 2001

We aim to make a decision on a settlement visa application in 60 working days (excluding weekends and UK public holidays). If you have opted for our settlement priority visa service, your application will be put at the front of the queue and the decision expedited.

Please note that if you fail to send your passport and supporting documents promptly after your biometric enrolment, your application will take longer and may be refused.

Apply for an exempt diplomatic visa

If you are being posted to work at the Australian High Commission in the UK, you should make an application online and apply under:

• exempt: diplomatic posting to the UK

If you have any dependants, they should apply under:

• exempt: diplomatic posting to the UK (dependants)

You will be prompted to book an appointment at a biometric enrolment centre to have your photograph taken.

If you are applying from Adelaide or Hobart, please post the signed copy of the application form, please ensure you include your:

• official or diplomatic passport
• a current passport photo
• a third party note from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
• a self- addressed return envelope (Adelaide and Hobart only)

Each dependant is required to make a separate application. Their names should be included in the third party note.

Dependant applications should include:

• copies of relevant birth certificates for accompanying children
• a marriage certificates for a spouse or a letter from DFAT to show you are recognised as a same-sex or de facto couple

Dependants in a de facto relationship are not exempt and may have to enrol biometric data. Please make this clear to the biometric enrolment officer when you attend the appointment. They will ensure that they enrol your biometrics.

Apply for an exempt visa as a member of the armed forces

Main applicant

If you are going on a course or a posting to work as a member of the Australian armed forces in the UK, you should make an application online and apply under:

• exempt: member of UK or visiting forces

The main applicant is exempt from immigration control and does not have to enrol biometricsor pay a fee. When you post your signed copy of the printed application form you should include:

• a third party note
• your posting notice listing any dependants
• your passport
• a passport photo
• a self-addressed return envelope (Adelaide and Hobart only)

Dependants

If you have any dependants, they should apply under:

• exempt: member of UK or visiting forces (dependant)

Dependants are not exempt from immigration control, even though the form suggests this. Dependants will have to enrol their biometric data.

Please advise the biometric enrolment officer and ensure they take your biometric data or this could delay your application.

When dependants send in their application, they should ensure that they include their:

• application form
• passport
• a current passport photo
• birth certificates for children
• a marriage certificate if applicable or evidence to show you have been living as unmarried partners for a minimum of 2 years

If you need to make an urgent application, you will need to pay the priority fee payment for all the family members with the exception of the main applicant. However the main applicant should make it clear to the biometric enrolment officer that the application is priority.

Apply for a visa as a civilian member of the Australian Defence Forces (ADF)

Further guidance about applying in this category is available at Armed forces: relevant civilian employees.

If the main applicant is going for study, please read the guidance on Tier 4 (General) students. You may need to apply for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate depending on the nature of your course. This certificate takes around 1 month to process and you will need to apply for this before you submit a Tier 4 student application. Read the guidance on qualification codes and guidance on applying for an ATAS certificate for more information.

If the main applicant is going on a posting to work, there is a special category for civilian members of the ADF going on a posting to work in the UK. This also applies to Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) staff working with DSTL in the UK.

There is currently no specific category set up for civilians working in the UK on our online visa application form, so the main applicant and any dependants should apply online under the following category:

• employment; non-points based employment; dependent of a current work permit holder

Once the form is completed and printed out, please write in red ink across the top of the form, “Civilian member of the defence forces”.

You will need to provide:

• a third party note from the Department of Defence, or the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stipulating the details of your posting and listing accompanying dependants

Each dependant is required to make a separate application. Their names should be included in the third party note. Dependants must also submit:

• copies of relevant birth certificates for accompanying children
• marriage certificates for spouses or evidence that you have been in a relationship akin to marriage for a minimum period of 2 years

You will then submit your application following the instructions for either a submission at a visa application centre or posting your application form if you enrol your biometric data in Adelaide or Hobart.

Make a complaint

Letters or emails about decisions to refuse a UK visa will not be treated as complaints. If you do not agree with the decision on your visa application, please use the existing appeals process, or apply for an administrative review.

If you have a complaint about how your visa application has been handled, or the conduct of UK Visas and Immigration staff please follow our official complaints procedure