Visa to Australia on compassionate grounds

[AlmostAway]

Posting here for traffic in hope of ideas.

My SIL, DH sister, was diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer about four months ago. She has been given just three to six months. It's all very sad. However, DH is beside himself because she lives in Australia. He is an Irish passport holder, but has been asked to pay AU$24k for the tourist visa.

Does anyone have any idea how he might be able to visit her on compassionate grounds? I have checked other visa types to no avail.

Thanks in advance

Surely he just needs an ETA? They’re technically free but most travel agents charge a small admin fee. I used to be a travel agent and did them all the time - disclaimer, this is from UK but I can’t imagine Ireland is too different?

So sorry OP
Have a look at
www.abbeytravel.ie/australia/holiday-visa.aspx
and ireland.embassy.gov.au/dubl/Visas_and_Migration.html

which both suggest you don't have to pay for the visas.
Be wary as there are many unscrupulous websites who will say you have to pay a fortune and are designed to look like government websites.

24k for a tourist Visa to Australia?! Who told him this?

my dd has a Visa for Australia and it's just done online like the US ones. there may have been an admin fee of aus$20 but her dad sorted it so unsure but definitely wasnt a lot

I'm not quite sure how much you are saying the cost of the visa will be AU$24k? What is the k for? You can get an Electronic Travel Authority which allows you to stay for up to 3 months. The cost is free, but if you order it online through the Australian government website, they charge AU$20, which is only about £10.50. I have got it through whichever airline is organising my flight and they have done it free of charge. The link to the Aussie government site is here: immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/electronic-travel-authority-601#Overview
Be careful of other websites that add their own fee to it, but look official.

My Oz tourist visas have always cost about 20 quid, it’s a bit more (£150?) if you want to stay longer than 3 months. Where on earth did he get £24k from?

It's the ETA or evisitor which he applied for several months ago and so far has been neither rejected nor granted. Just money demanded and left in limbo.

I assume the $24k is a typo?! No way it costs that much!

Who asked him to pay £24k? Unless he has criminal convictions it’s easy and cheap to get a visa to Australia with an Irish passport.

It's usually pretty immediate. Are you sure you used the official website?

It sounds very much like a scam website, we had a similar thing with an NZ visa last year but realised in time. Don't pay the 24k, I can't see how it's anything other than a con unless he has criminal convictions.

We occasionally had a limbo ETA to deal with and called the Australian Embassy who would sort it. I would contact them as a first point of call - they were always extremely helpful.

24k for a tourist Visa to Australia?! Who told him this

The Oz government!!
This is not a scam by some agency. The internet is littered with similar tales of people who haven't been issued a ETA and have flights booked for travel etc.owing to some arbitrary decision by a beaurocrat that they then cannot challenge.

Does anyone have any other idea other than ETA, please?

He doesn't have any criminal convictions

Are you actually saying he has been told it’s 24 thousand dollars for a visa? If so, I’m not surprised it’s in limbo - he’s on a fake website and he’s been scammed.

If the ‘k’ is a typo, I would suggest contacting the Australian embassy for help.

It doesn’t cost $24,000 to visit Australia; it just doesn’t.

www.abbeytravel.ie/australia/holiday-visa.aspx

It states here it’s $20

The visa is free. Here's the government site:

immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/evisitor-651

If your DH has handed money over, he's been had. Sorry.

According to this website the cost is 20 Australian dollars. It also says in relation to the time for processing the application "In most cases, you will be informed of the result of your application before leaving the online ETA system. Some applications might require additional processing. If your application is not processed immediately, check back in 12 hours via Check an ETA to confirm if your application is approved."

It sounds as if your husband may have tried to apply through a scam website and he can resolve this very quickly by applying through the correct official channels.

In that case, if you are sure it is the Australian government, then it's hard to see that he will have an alternative. Contact your MP and ask for their help? You could, in the circumstances, contact the Daily Fail with your sad face but I'd be more inclined to contact the Sunday Times travel section as they sometimes get involved with traveller disputes.

Sorry I don’t believe the are asking for 24k for a tourist visa? They need tourists. Is there a backstory to your OH, does he hold a criminal record etc? Has he provided flight return details, etc? Has he shown that he has the funds for his stay in Oz?

immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-finder/visit

Not sure where you live, but if you're in Ireland call in to the Australian embassy in Dublin for help.

What has he stated as his reason for visiting? I've got to Australia on Irish passport for holiday (eta) through embassy. Definitely not €24k

Call the Australian embassy and talk to someone

Just saw he doesn’t hold a criminal record. Can you post the link he is using?

Sorry, cross-post. I would still suggest contacting the embassy. If that doesn’t work and he has the money, an Australian lawyer specialising in immigration law might be able to do something