Australian Immigration News

Australian Label-free Student Visas for Chinese

Arrangements that allow people from China and other nationals in the People's Republic of China to travel to Australia on a student visa without a visa label in their passport have been implemented from April 1, 2012, the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) recently announced.

These arrangements for a "label-free" visa have been agreed between the department and the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China.

According to the announcement, all airlines are required to undertake an electronic check of departmental databases to ensure that a person holds an Australian visa before being allowed to board a flight to Australia.

As the Ministry of Public Security has advised, airlines will only allow a person who has been granted a "label-free" student visa to depart China where they depart:

• from an airport in mainland China travelling on a flight or flights, directly or indirectly, to Australia and hold a boarding pass for their final flight to Australia
• mainland China transiting by land or ferry through the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in order to travel on a flight or flights to Australia.

Any person granted a label-free Student visa to travel to Australia will not be able to transit through the Macau Special Administrative Region, by land or ferry, to board an onward flight in Macau or Hong Kong.

The DIAC will continue to issue a grant notification letter along with all Australian student visas informing these visa holders details of the validity and conditions of their student visa. However, the letter is not considered evidence of the grant of a student visa for the purpose of travel. Airlines have been advised not to rely on any letter as evidence of a person's permission to travel to and enter Australia.