Australian eVisitor 651 Visa

[Roussette]

I am starting a thread in the hope someone can help!

We have a holiday of a lifetime coming up, we applied for these Visas a week ago. Mine came through in 10 minutes, my DH's is still showing as 'Received', with nothing else. They have not asked for further documentation which seems to be the normal thing to happen if you don't get approval straightaway.

90% of people get these Visas within 1 day. The rest within 6 days but we have passed that already.

I am having a bit of a panic (to say the least). We have got some time to play with, but reading online there seems to be a very few random people who just don't hear and it can go on a long time.

Everything is very simple like it is for me (no criminal record, never applied before, no name changes, nothing that would appear to hold this up)

Has this happened to anyone else? There appears to be no way whatsoever to contact anyone to ask what is happening (unless anyone knows otherwise!)

Thank you in advance

I've applied for loads of these in my time. Sometimes mine comes through in 10 mins other times it's taken a week. No reason for it.

There was a thread recently where someone had the same experience. Try that?

Also there are contact details on the immi website or in your visa grant letter. I've emailed them before with a change I needed to make and they responded quite quickly.

Australian Tourist Visa www.mumsnet.com/Talk/holidays/4474921-Australian-Tourist-Visa

@HairyMcLarie

Thank you so much, I'll read that other thread.

I can see where you can go to make a change, but not anywhere to chase up.

We were going to leave it a couple more days then maybe load up his passport and details of our return air ticket home.

I'm reassured though that you say you have waited a week. We are a week today since he applied.

@Roussette that previous thread shows the OP waited 11 days. The timing is so random. I think they select some for a full screening potentially. Maybe a shared name with some miscreant!

I'm in NZ on a UK passport (hence so frequently applying for them) and I spoke to a friend recently also on a UK passport who also lives here and he has regularly forgotten to get a tourist visa and has applied at the airport on departure without any issues!

How long have you got? If you have weeks or months to go I'd stop worrying. If it's in a couple of days then you may want to try to escalate. Check out the email address in your visa grant letter and try that if so.

Thank you again @HairyMcLarie You have been so helpful

Nothing this morning. Yes we have time, it's just worrying me. We are on a small ship cruise of a lifetime and, even though we don't reach Australia for quite a while (long trip) they won't let us even get on the ship at the start of it for this bucket list trip without proof of an Australian visa.

I have triple checked my Visa Grant letter, 2 pages, and there is no email address to contact at all.

The email came from "[email protected]" but it says it doesn't accept unsolicited emails, but I might try anyway if time marches on. There are no email addresses within the Visa Granted notification.

We are thinking of trying to ring them through Skype if we haven't heard anything in say two weeks total.

Thank you again, so grateful.

Yep I think that's the email address I used. With the application number for your DHs visa. Can't hurt can it?
Having said that I'd give it 19 working days then try

Perfect, that's what we'll do! Thank you 😊

I did drop them an email first thing this morning, I just couldn't help it

It was basically an automated response from them saying they don't answer emails, so that door is closed.

There is no way to chase whatsoever. I've established that much from reading about other people's plights online. However, their 'cases' are more complicated... different nationality passports etc.

Our only option, should absolutely nothing happen, is to try and apply for the ETA visitor through the app. There is no other option, but that will be way down the line as a panic measure, and no idea if it will work.
Till then, I just wait and be patient. The previous thread poster waited 11 days, that included weekends, we are on 9 days now.

How long till you travel?

Honestly I know so many people who have been in your position. No reason for the delay but it comes through eventually. I asked a friend about her DHs visa (she Aus citizen, he in NZ on a UK passport) as I remembered she was fretting on the same situation. Two weeks it took for no reason at all. My most recent one (2 months ago) took 6 working days. No idea why it took so long! I've held loads of Visitor visas (maybe 20) and a working/living aus visa before too! My DHs visa came through in seconds!

I assume your DH hasn't had any reason to reject? Crimes, previous rejected visas or overstaying?

How long have you got until you leave for your trip?

Hi @HairyMcLarie

We actually don't enter Australia until end October BUT we are doing over 2 months on a small ship that embarks in a few weeks, and the cruise line won't let us on the ship in Vancouver without the Australian Visa. Before I knew this, I thought... oh it's fine, Australia is towards the end of our trip, it'll come through before then, but then I realised we can't get on without it.

I don't know why this has panicked me so much... well, I do know why really.. we have been saving so long for this once in a lifetime trip, and it means so much to us (my DH is old and it's on his bucket list and his age and health means it will never happen again.)

As for him... he has had no convictions, has never had a visa turned down, has never applied for an Aus one before or been there.

Your post has reassured me, I have to get a grip and stop getting my knickers in a twist. Thank you thank you.

Sit tight and keep calm. It will come through eventually. Plenty of time.

@HairyMcLarie

I wanted to update you as you've been so kind with your posts.

No, it hasn't come through and it's two weeks now. Still marked as 'Received'.

We contacted our Travel Agent, because we really cannot just hope for the best, and then lose an eye watering amount of money. If we cancelled by next Wednesday, we would get 50% back. After then, we would lose the lot. What a dilemma, lose all this money and then the visa comes through. Or it doesn't and we lose even more!

So our TA provided us with some numbers to ring. Nothing worked, nowhere would help, we were stuck. We were told that if eVisas go for manual processing, they are so short staffed it can take between one or two months, no idea how true that is.

So we went for our last resort. We researched carefully to make sure we did it with no hitches, and we applied for an ETA on the Aus app. It is very fiddly, lots of scanning of all sorts, NFC on a mobile has to be enabled etc (so an old phone wouldn't work), and you have to pay but only nominal and we didn't care.

Straightaway, in comes the receipt for the money, then within 2 minutes he is 'approved' !
We were so relieved.
I've taken advice and we should leave the eVisa processing and it will be interesting to see when it does come in. Apparently it will supersede the ETA if or when it does.

We can now look forward properly to our holiday!

Hopefully this post might help anyone else who does a search on Aus Visas in the future!

I've been waiting for an update! How very odd but thank goodness you now have a visa!

Enjoy your holiday!

There is an app and you can scan your passport and it comes straight away. I was very stressed as I only found out I needed a visa when we were in the airport, rest of the family have Australian passports. They let me on fly as we were stopping over in Malaysia. I applied for the visa and since it wasn’t coming I did more research while in Malaysia and found the app. Thank goodness as we only stopped over for one night

I see you found the app already. Enjoy your holidays.

By the way. I applied for a refund for the first application and got my money back

Thank you all!

The first application for the eVisa651 was free so that's fine.

The ETA on the phone with an app was 20Aus$, but at that point we would've paid far more to stop the uncertainty!

Phew!

I am in a similar position. I don't understand how any of this works. When you say ETA on the app, what does that mean? Do you have to download an app, or do a search and go with an Aussie website doing this? If so, who did you go with? Thank you. Very stressed person.

The visa got granted in the early hours thankfully. It seems if you are going to Australia at short notice because of something like an ill relative like myself, you are at the mercy of immigration. Very stressful when you're already stressed.