Students who are Hong Kong SAR and/or BNO passport holders that are completing eligible tertiary studies in Australia can apply for a five-year Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa upon the successful conclusion of their studies.

For more information, please visit Temporary Graduate visa - Subclass 485 (homeaffairs.gov.au)

Skilled Hong Kong SAR and/or BNO passport holders are able to apply for a five-year Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) (subclass 482) visa.

For more information, please visit Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482) (homeaffairs.gov.au).

Hong Kong SAR and/or BNO passport holders may be eligible for permanent residence where they hold an eligible visa, were usually resident in a designated regional area of Australia for a continuous period of at least 3 years, and worked or studied in a designated regional area in the 3 years immediately prior to application.

For more information, please visit Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191) Hong Kong stream (homeaffairs.gov.au).

Hong Kong SAR and/or BNO passport holders may be eligible for permanent residence where they have been usually resident in Australia for a continuous period of at least 4 years immediately before applying, and held a qualifying visa during that period.

For more information, please visit Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) Hong Kong stream (homeaffairs.gov.au).

Hong Kong SAR passport holders may be eligible for an Australian Electronic Authority (ETA). 

All ETA-eligible passport holders must apply for an ETA using the Australian ETA app. For more information, see our Step by step guide.

Protecting yourself from ETA scam

We are aware of third-party websites purporting to be associated with the Department of Home Affairs (the Department), charging exorbitant fees to lodge ETAs on behalf of visa applicants.

There is no Visa Application Charge (VAC) for an ETA, however there is an application service fee of AUD20 to use the Australian ETA app.

Be aware that you are being scammed if:

• you apply for your ETA via a website – ETAs can only be applied for using the ETA app
• you pay more than AUD20 to lodge the application
• you are told to pay extra fees for premium service or extra charges for ‘expedited’ visa processing
• the information you are relying on hasn’t come from an official website ending in .gov.au

Some of the known websites which are not official Departmental approved platforms to make an ETA application are:

• https://www.jsdimmigrations.com
• https://www.jsdvisa.com
• https://australiaevisas.org
• https://australiavacationsonline.com

If you choose to use one of these third-party websites, you risk:

• losing any upfront cash that you have paid to the agent
• having your ETA refused
• not being permitted on the flight to Australia
• being refused entry to Australia at the Australian border by the Australian Border Force

In order to protect yourself from visa scams, you should only deal with reputable travel agents, or official Australian Government channels via the Department of Home Affairs website: www.homeaffairs.gov.au

If you are aware of, or suspect a scam in relation to ETAs, or other visas to Australia, please report it to Australia’s Border Watch. More information is available below on how to report Allegations related to suspicious border activities below.

On 14 May 2024 the Government announced that the BIIP will be closed permanently from July 2024 to new entrants. The Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional)(subclass 188) visa is now closed to new subclass 188 visa applications in the Business Innovation, Investor, Significant Investor and Entrepreneur streams.

If you have already lodged an application for a Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) (subclass 188) visa, the Department will continue to process this application in line with Government priorities and the Migration Program planning levels. This also applies to all dependent family members included in your application.

Refunds are now available to applicants of subclass 188 in the Business Innovation, Investor, Significant Investor and Entrepreneur streams and subclass 132 in all streams who withdraw their application on or after 31 July 2024. For more information, please visit:

• News page (homeaffairs.gov.au)
• BIIP closure and refunds (homeaffairs.gov.au)

More information about the changes to the BIIP is available on our website https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/news-media/archive/article?itemId=1209.

For information about the Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa, please visit Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa - subclass 188 (homeaffairs.gov.au).

For information about the Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) visa, please visit Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) visa - subclass 888 (homeaffairs.gov.au).

For all Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188) applications from the People’s Republic of China, Macau SAR, Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan please ensure that supporting documents provided are those in the document checklist from the Australian Consulate General Hong Kong. Complete applications are processed more quickly and your application may be refused if it does not include the supporting information we require.

For the latest immigration and citizenship news, see News archive.

Visa and citizenship applications are managed by the Department of Home Affairs. Consulate staff are unable to assist with general visa or citizenship enquiries.

The Department of Home Affairs website has the most up to date and comprehensive information on applying for visas and citizenship. The website also has useful definitions and tools to help you understand the department’s requirements. Visit the website at Immigration and citizenship.

If you are having trouble locating information on the department’s website, the Home Affairs Digital Assistant may be able to help. The Digital Assistant can help you find information on Australian visas, citizenship and border entry. Visit the Immigration and citizenship website, and click the Ask a question button to get started.

If you require additional information, you may telephone the Global Service Centre on 

+61 2 6196 0196, Monday to Friday, from 9:00am to 5:00pm your local time.

International calls may be subject to charges imposed by your local carrier. You may wish to consider using a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provider to avoid potentially high charges.

When you call the GSC, select option 6 to engage a Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) interpreter in your language. Option 6 can be selected straight after dialling the GSC number.

Alternatively, a TIS interpreter can also be engaged directly via:

• TIS website: Search | Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) or
• Home Affairs website See: Family and friends helping with your application

Your feedback is valuable to the Department of Home Affairs. The department uses your feedback to improve services and investigate and respond to any issues of concern. You can find more information on the department’s website at Compliments, complaints and suggestions.

If it doesn’t feel right, flag it anonymously with Border Watch. Border Watch is the single collection point for the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Border Force (ABF) for allegations related to suspicious border activities and is not limited to immigration and citizenship. One small observation could help stop a much larger border crime.  You can report suspicious immigration, customs and border related activity via the Border Watch Online Report.