Looking to apply a for an Australian visa? Our Australian immigration affiliates can help.
Whether you’re a sunseeker or looking to move for a higher quality of life, Australia is an attractive destination for British citizens, but first you’ll need to submit an Australian visa application.
At Britton and Time, we have a network of Australian immigration affiliates who will help you to assess your eligibility for immigration routes and ultimately draft and submit your visa application.
From family visas to skilled worker visas, immigration appeals and much more, we’re here to help.
FAQs
When it comes to moving to Australia from the UK, employer sponsorship is one of the most common pathways. Employer or skilled worker visas enable Australian businesses to recruit overseas candidates to address national labour shortages, provided companies meet specific role, salary, sponsorship and compliance obligations.
There are a number of employer-sponsored and skilled worker visas available, but the two most common visa types in this category are:
You must meet skill, experience, English language, and health/character requirements, alongside paying for visa application costs, costs for associated assessments and for any applications for dependants.
You can find further information on skilled worker visas, including visa types and what to expect from the application process on our Skilled Migration Visas page.
Yes, there are several ways to bring family members with you when moving to Australia. Many visa types, including skilled worker visas, allow you to submit applications for dependants, which cover your partner and children, but at additional cost.
Alternatively, if your partner is an Australian citizen or a permanent resident in Australia, there are a number of family visas that will enable them to join you on a temporary basis, leading potentially to a permanent visa. Even if your visa type or living situation doesn’t allow dependants, your partner and children may still be eligible to apply for other visa types, based on their intention.
For partners, the most common Australian family visa types are:
For partner visa types, you must prove a genuine and ongoing relationship, usually demonstrated through the “four pillars”:
Applications require forms, identity checks, police certificates, relationship evidence, and health exams.
For further information on family visas ‘Australian Family Visas‘ page.
Australia is an attractive study destination for students globally. If applying to study in Australia from the UK, you will most likely require a student visa under subclass 500, which enables you to study full time at a registered education provider.
Student visas are valid for up to 6 years and allow students to work up to 48 hours per fortnight during term time. To be eligible to apply, you must hold a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) from an education institution and pay visa fees starting from AUD $2,000.
If visiting Australia from the UK as a tourist, you will need to complete an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) (subclass 601). This visa type enables you to enter Australia as many times as you wish within a 12-month period and stay up to 3 months on each visit.
Should you need to stay longer than 3 months each time, you will need to apply for a visitor visa under subclass 600, which will enable you to stay for 3, 6 or 12 months.
Both the ETA and visitor visa types enable you to visit for reasons of:
Many young British people also opt for a working holiday in Australia, which requires a different visa type: the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417).
Working holiday visas allow you to stay for up to 12 months and work to help fund your trip, but are only available to British citizens aged 18 to 35.
A refusal doesn’t always mean the end of your migration prospects and may be able to appeal. Refusals commonly arise from incomplete documents, unmet criteria, financial issues, or health/character problems. Your refusal letter will state whether you have rights to appeal to the Administrative Review Tribunal but the deadlines are strict (typically 21–28 days).
If eligible you may:
Failing to act promptly can affect your immigration status, especially if you hold a bridging visa.
If you have a criminal record, it’s best to seek advice prior to submitting your visa application. Some offences can lead to immediate visa refusal, however smaller offences can be mitigated through character references and supporting information.
You can find more information on applying for Australian visas with a criminal record here.
Australian visa applications, like any complex application, can involve multiple deadlines, information sources and uncertainty. Our experienced Australian immigration affiliates will talk to you to understand your background and on what basis you would like to move to Australia, before talking you through whether it is feasible and your alternatives.
We will help you draft your forms, assess whether additional information would be helpful to your application, avoid inconsistencies, and ultimately reduce unnecessary delays and refusals.
If your application results in a refusal or any extra questions, we can represent you and guide you through the review and appeals processes.
We have worked with several different Australian immigration services providers, but we only recommend one affiliate at any one time.
Our Australian immigration affiliate network consists of fully regulated and insured law firms in their territories of operation. We only suggest firms who are accredited in immigration with at least 10 years’ experience in immigration matters. Australian law firms are subject to similar requirements as law firms in England and Wales, with client funds being required to be held in a trust account.
While we make every effort to only suggest practices who we believe hold equally high standards, we act solely as an introducer and cannot guarantee or accept responsibility for the level of service you receive. We ask that you read through any engagement letters or agreements with our partners carefully and to sign only when you are fully satisfied.
In some cases, we may receive a referral fee if you engage the services of one of our legal affiliates. If this is the case, we will advise you of this.
You are under no obligation to engage the services of any of our legal affiliates.
If you would like the details of our current Australian immigration affiliate, please call us on 0203 007 5500 for more details.
Call, email or provide us with a few details of your matter, and we’ll help you arrange an initial consultation. You’ll get:
No fee surprises. Ever. Our solicitors in London and Brighton will inform you from the outset how much your case will cost and we will do everything in our power to keep costs down and within your original fee estimate.
You are our priority and law is our speciality. Our award-winning solicitors in London and Brighton ensure you know exactly where you stand from a legal perspective so you can make a well-informed decision.
With fortnightly updates on your case, you’ll never be left in the dark. Our solicitors in London and Brighton ensure you know exactly how your case is progressing and are with you every step of the way.
Criminal convictions can have lasting consequences on immigration applications to the UK. When applying, the Home Office will conducts checks on any applicant’s criminal record.
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