403 VISA

The Temporary Work (International Relations) visa (subclass 403) allows you to come to Australia under one of five streams:

• Government Agreement stream: to come to Australia under the terms and conditions of a bilateral agreement between the Australian Government or an Australian state or territory government and the government of another country.
• Foreign Government Agency stream: for a representative of a foreign government who will not be given official status in Australia by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), or a person who is to be employed as a foreign language teacher by a foreign government in an Australian school.
• Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or Consular) stream: to do domestic work in the household of someone who holds a Diplomatic (Temporary) visa (subclass 995).
• Privileges and Immunities stream: for a person with privileges and immunities under the International Organisations (Privileges and Immunities) Act 1963 or the Overseas Missions (Privileges and Immunities) Act 1995.
• Seasonal Worker Program stream: to come to Australia to work as a seasonal labourer in selected industries for Australian employers who cannot source local labour You must be invited by an approved Temporary Activities sponsor to participate in the Seasonal Worker Program. This program is limited to selected countries only.

This visa allows you to come to Australia on a temporary basis:

• In relation to a bilateral agreement (Government Agreement stream);
• To represent a foreign government or to teach a foreign language in an Australian school (Foreign Government Agency stream);
• To do domestic work for a diplomat (Domestic Worker stream);
• As a person with statutory privileges and immunities (Privileges and Immunities stream);
• To participate in the program of seasonal work (Seasonal Worker Program stream).

Evidence of your financial capacity to support yourself and your family while you are in Australia, such as:

• Bank statements;
• A letter from your financial institution stating your financial position;
• Employment contracts;
• Documents showing allowances, accommodation and stipends from your sponsor while you are in Australia.

You must meet certain health requirements. The health examination will depend on your circumstances, including your period of stay, country of citizenship, time spent in another country during the last five years and your intended activities in Australia.

The results of your health examinations are generally valid for 12 months.

You must meet certain character requirements. If you are applying for a stay in Australia of longer than 12 months, you must provide a police certificate from each country you have lived in for 12 months or more during the past 10 years after you turned 16 years of age.

This also applies to all dependent family members in the application who are 16 years of age or older. You must provide a certified English translation with all documents that are not in English.

1. What are the requirements to be able to apply for this visa?
   • First, you have to meet all the criteria and are eligible to apply for the visa.
   • You must have met specific criteria from each stream, met character requirement, health requirement, have a genuine intention to stay temporarily in Australia, etc.
   • You are also required to not have had any refusal or cancellation history while you are in Australia, otherwise, you will not be able to apply for this visa.
2. How long can I stay in Australia with this visa?
   • This is a temporary visa. The length of your stay will depend on what the department specifies in your visa grant notice, and it could be up to 4 years.
3. Can I include my family for my visa?
   • Yes, there are three streams (Government Agreement, Privileges and Immunities, and Foreign Government Agency stream) that allow you to bring your family members to Australia.
   • You can include your partner, dependent child or step child in your application.
   • Family members who apply for the visa with you must meet the health and character requirements.
4. How much does the visa cost?
   • All the streams in Temporary Work (International Relations) Visa (Subclass 403) cost AUD $310 for the main applicant except for Privileges and Immunities stream that has no application fee.
   • There will be an additional charge if you bring any family members. Please note that this cost is as per September 2020 and will increase every July each year.
5. How do I apply for this visa?
   • If you are applying in Australia, you have to be in Australia when the decision is made for your application.
   • If you are applying outside Australia, you must also be outside Australia when they grant your visa.
   • Exception is only for Seasonal Worker Program stream, in which you can only be offshore when you apply and also when you receive the decision.