Visa grants to Chinese nationals on increase

Letter to the Editor - Business Review Weekly
2 April 2003

Dear Sir/Madam

Amanda Gome's (27 March 2003, page 62) assessment of the number of visitors Australia receives from China is well wide of the mark.

Visa grants to Chinese nationals visiting Australia have increased at an unprecedented rate over the past 5 to 6 years. China is now Australia's fifth largest source country for tourism and business visitors, and is the top source country for business visitors, surpassing the more traditional markets of the United States and the United Kingdom. Growth during this financial year is over 17 per cent and is expected to grow further.

Visa approval rates are also on the rise. Currently around 90 per cent of all Chinese visa applicants are granted visas for travel to Australia. This is usually done within 10 days of lodgement.

The Chinese Government has afforded Australia 'Approved Destination Status' in recognition of the important bilateral relations between the two countries. It was the first and remains one of the few Western countries to have been accorded this status.

The Government continues to examine ways to improve client access to visa services in China, including progress towards the electronic lodgement of visa applications.

Stewart Foster
Director
Public Affairs
DIMIA