The recent trip to China by Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Australian business leaders highlighted the need for China to Australia's economy. When you are looking at tourism, China is Australia's fastest growing inbound tourism market and largest cause of international visitor spending in Australia.
wayne Packer, A member of Mr Abbott's business delegation, Says it ought to be easier for Chinese people to visit Australia.
Mr Packer is the chairman and majority investor of Crown Resorts, The operator of casino hotels in victoria, Perth and the Macau Special administrative Region of China, Which competes with other destiny resorts in places such as Singapore and Las Vegas. upon April 8, Mr Packer told Melbourne radio that it didn't make sense that visa applications in China should be filled out in English and it didn't make sense that they had to be sent through the post.
"Australia accepts online visa functions; we do not from China, Mr Packer stated. "In China if you want to apply for an Australian visa, you need to definitely apply in English. At a very high level I think we should make it as easy for a wealthy Chinese citizen to come to Australia as we do for a wealthy American citizen,
ABC Fact Check takes a look at what Chinese people need to do to apply for a tourist visa and how this compares with Australia's global competitors.
The say that: James Packer says Australia does not accept online visa application submissions from China, And that Chinese experts to apply in English. The judgement: Mr Packer is solve. Australia does require Chinese people to complete visa installations in English and on paper.
Why manages to do it matter?Australia competes with other countries for Chinese tourists and more onerous visa processes may make Australia less low cost.
in an April 10 media release from the Minister for Trade and Investment, phil Robb, mainland China is "Australia's fastest growing and most valuable inbound tourism market, by using 709,300 Chinese visitor arrivals in 2013 spending almost $4.7 thousand, Mr Robb says spending by Chinese visitors to Australia could reach $13 billion by 2020.
While outbound tourism by Chinese people has been dependably increasing (81.4 million outings in 2012, Up by 16 per cent on the year before), The share visiting Australia is falling (Australia's share fell from 1 percent in 2011 to 0.7 % in 2012).
Other international locations are also in the hunt for Chinese visitors. as an example, The US state of California has a 'China Ready' program which it says is designed "To prepare the state's tourism industry to better serve Chinese drivers, in england has also set a strategy to aggressively increase inbound Chinese tourism. correspondingly, immigration New Zealand tells Fact Check that "helping the number of visitors and migrants from new markets such as China is a key priority to growing the [other Zealand] economic conditions,
All of these countries have their own attractions. yet, based on Mr Packer, "In the modern era of ultra competitive tourism, Australia can't afford to be core pack on visa processing, Fact Check asked other tourism employees, Including Echo home entertainment (The operator of casinos in Sydney, brisbane and the Gold Coast), The Adelaide Casino and Hamilton remote island, But they declined to touch upon the visa issue.
The process that a Chinese person in China needs to follow when applying for an Australian visa is clearly set out in both English and Chinese on the Australian embassy's website. The details to note are:
Chinese tourists normally make application for a "travellers stream" holiday maker visa. Applicants need to fill out a 20 page form in writing, In everyday terms. While answers should be in English, The form does contain instructions in Chinese and concerns are in both English and Chinese.
Applicants will also fill out a form (In chinese language language) Setting out their 'family composition' and prove that they have financial means to support themselves during their stay in Australia. If one of applicants is a child, A consent form to grant an Australian visa to chinese girlfriend a child younger than 18 also needs to be filled out. The only consent form one is in English only. Applications need to be listed in an Australian visa application centre (positioned in Beijing, Shanghai and
Guangzhou) physically, Or sent by mail or courier. Chinese people cannot make application for a tourist visa online, even though some work and study visas can be applied for online. If a criminal record is outside Australia when applying for the visa, Then the visa costs $130.
Not all people visiting Australia face doing this.
An ETA is free of charge, Although a $20 service fee is charged for online application forms. People from eight countries including america, europe, south korea, Japan and even the Hong Kong Special administrative Region of China who are of good character can apply online for an ETA. Citizens of the uk and other European countries are still eligible for an ETA but cannot apply online. The ETA online application can be purchased in both English and Japanese.
Citizens of other countries or whoever has criminal convictions need to apply for a visitor visa as Chinese citizens do.
Fact Check asked the Department of Immigration and Border Protection about the visa application process for Chinese people and whether there were any plans to make it easier for them. Fact Check was told that the query was used the office of the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Scott Morrison. The Minister's office did not provide an answer.
The application process in other countriesOfficials from the United States, in england, people from france, Canada and New Zealand provided details of their visa strategies to Fact Check. None of these countries allows the forms to be carried out Chinese and most cannot be completed wholly online.
A US State Department official told Fact Check that details about applying for a US visa is available in both English and Chinese on the website of the US embassy in Beijing. the contour is in English, But the official says that "There is a language translation tool obtainable for multiple languages, for instance Chinese, That provides hover translations of the applying fields while completing the online form, The form really need to be completed online, However criminal background may also have to attend the embassy or a visa office for a "Visa appointment, an interview can be conducted in Chinese. People who are under 14 or over 80 or have had a US visa before usually do not need to attend an interview. A non immigrant visa features a fee of $US160 (on $170).
A UK home office official tells Fact Check that "UK visa people must first complete, Submit and pay for their visa the application online [whereas] Visit their nearest visa application centre to provide their biometric data finger prints and digital photograph and submit their documents, the application form is in English, But there is far east on the form. There is a asian website and Mandarin assistance service available via telephone, subscriber and webchat. The visa fee is 82 excessive fat (encompassing $150).
Citizenship and Immigration Canada says that visa opportunities must be made in either English or French, Canada's official different languages. Any supporting documents also have to be translated into one exampleof these languages. about the, Chinese people can get a visitor visa online. The fee for a chinese visa is $C100 (in the region of $97).
A spokesman for the French consulate around australia tells Fact Check that a French visa application needs to be completed in French or English. An in person visa interview is called for, nevertheless can be booked online. The visa you spend 60 euro (as much as $88).
novel Zealand, Like down under, Has a visa form throughout the Chinese and English, But requires it to be filled out in English. The form is to be lodged at one of four visa application centres in China, However an Immigration New Zealand spokesman tells Fact Check that the department is putting into action a new system "Known as Immigration ONLINE which by 2015 will enable nearly all customers and also should be visas online, all the fee is 860 RMB (present $150).
Mr Packer has previously known as Singapore, featuring its two casino resorts, As a key player to Australia for the Chinese tourism dollar. The applications need to be carried out English, Although presumably a local agent could take the information from the applicant in Chinese.
China's visa project for AustraliansAs for China, It allows Australians you're visitor visas in English. apps can be prepared online, However it is essential to lodge them by post or in person at a China visa application service centre, in Sydney, melbourne, queensland, Perth and as well as Canberra.
The verdictMr Packer is top. Australia does require Chinese people to complete visa services in English and on paper. Australia's competitors for the tourism dollar impose similar regulations, Particularly re the use of English. Some allow online forms.
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