Whether you’re travelling to Australia to take a vacation or you’re relocating there for good, you must first have a visa to enter the country. There are different kinds of Australian visas, as well as different methods on how to apply for one.

When applying for a visa, you must choose a classification suited to your particular situation. For short durations, you can apply for a temporary visa, such as a tourist or working holiday visa. While on a temporary visa, you can also apply for a permanent one if you wish to stay longer or to migrate completely. Permanent visas include a skilled worker’s visa, student visa or family visa. For a skilled worker’s visa, you can either be sponsored by relatives living in the country, or by an Australian state or region.

As to the method of applying for one, you can apply for a visa in several ways. There’s the traditional walk-in application, where you go to the embassy yourself to apply for a visa. This is the easiest way to get a visa, as some temporary visas are released in a matter of hours. You can also send your application through the mail, though this takes more time than the walk-in application. You send your application via post, and the visa is also released to you through regular mail. Applications via mail should be sent to the Australian visa centres found in Australian consulates and embassies.

For tourists who plan to visit Australia through a travel agency, you can have the agency take care of the visa application process. This is better, as you are guaranteed that your Australian visa will be processed properly so you can enjoy a worry-free vacation.