United States of America
Visa Information
Permanent Entry Visas
Permanent entry visa applications (except skilled, business skilled and Parent categories) from all of the United States are processed and decided in Washington.
Business Skills applications for the USA are lodged and processed at the Perth Business Skills Processing Centre.
General skilled migration applications are lodged and processed at the Adelaide Skilled Processing Centre.
Contributory parent and parent migration applications are lodged and processed at the Perth Offshore Parents Centre.
Temporary Entry Visas
Citizens of the United States are eligible for streamlined processing of visitor visas through Electronic Travel Authority.
See:
Electronic Travel Authority website
Visiting for a Holiday or Family Reason > Applying for a Visitor ETA or Visitor visa from outside Australia
Other temporary entry visa applications from the United States are processed and decided in Washington. Washington also processes temporary visa applications from Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
416 Special Program applications are lodged and processed at the Hobart Special Program Processing Centre
420 Entertainment sponsorship and visa applications are lodged and processed at the Sydney Entertainment Processing Centre
From 2 April 2005, Sponsored Family Visitor visa (subclass 679) applications must be lodged by the sponsor at a State or Territory office within Australia.
See: Contact details in Australia
If you are sponsored by an Australian employer, you must lodge your visa application at the same office in Australia where your employer lodged papers to support your application. Please ask your employer which office they lodged these papers at. For the office address, see: Contact details in Australia
Special Procedures
Washington, is responsible for all DIAC functions in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands and supervises the Visa Office in Mexico City.
Washington processes permanent entry applications from Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Mexico and the Central American region (Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama) Washington also processes permanent entry applications from Cuba.
A special arrangement for application lodgement is available for Cuban citizens. Cuban citizens are able to lodge permanent entry applications in Mexico City and they will be transferred to Washington to avoid any disadvantage because of the uncertainty of mail between Cuba and the USA.
As a general rule, visa applications from Guam and the Northern Marianas. are handled in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. Permanent Entry visas are lodged in Pohnpei and forwarded by the post for processing and decision in Suva.
The visa office in the Australian Consulate, Los Angeles, United States of America, closed on 1 February 2003.