How this Visa Works

For this visa you will need to be sponsored and nominated by an Australian tertiary or research institution operating in Australia.

The process for obtaining a Visiting Academic visa is summarised in the table below.

Who	Responsibility
Organisation	apply to be an Visiting Academic Sponsor to invite academics from overseas nominate the position to be filled  nominate the person to fill the position act as a sponsor for the nominated persons listed in the nomination cooperate with department's monitoring requirements meet costs and other obligations as part of the program.
Nominated primary applicant	accept the offer from the sponsor apply for a visa meet all conditions on their visa.

Validity periods

The validity period of the:

• sponsorship is three years
• nomination is 12 months
• visa is 12 months or the period of stay covered in the invitation, whichever is the earlier date.

Bringing family

The following people may be included in your visa application:

• your partner
• your or your partner's dependent children
• other dependent relatives.

Secondary applicants who have not been listed in the visa application and who want to join you in Australia at a later time will need to lodge a separate visa application. A letter from your sponsor is required to be provided with the application confirming that the sponsor will accept responsibility for the secondary applicants for the period of their stay in Australia.

Other visa options

If you are a student who wants to obtain an Australian award, or qualification, you should apply for a Student visa.
See: Students

If you are an academic receiving remuneration (other than a contribution towards living and travel expenses) from the inviting institution, or you are an academic who will teach and/or lecture in Australia, you should be assessed against a different visa.
See:
Temporary Business (Long Stay) visa (Subclass 457)

If you are a student who wants to undertake research in Australia that is credited towards an award or qualification in your home country, or a recent PhD graduate seeking to enhance your skills and establish your academic credentials, an Occupational Trainee visa may be a more appropriate visa.
See: Occupational Trainee visa (Subclass 442)

Definitions

These definitions will help you understand the information on these pages.
See: Definitions