Step 3—Applicant Completes a Visa Application

The primary applicant must apply for a visa to work or undertake activities in Australia on a temporary basis.

Before a visa application can be lodged the organisation or eligible individual that is nominating the applicant, must be approved as an entertainment sponsor or have lodged an application to be approved as a sponsor.

Visa application

Complete the visa application, attach all necessary documentation and provide to your sponsor.
See: Form 147 Application for a temporary residence visa (non-business) (343KB PDF file)

Visa application charge

There is a charge for this visa application. However, in certain cases, under cultural/non-commercial performances, the visa application charge may be waived. You will need to provide evidence, at time of lodgement, that the engagements are for non-profit purposes. Organisations usually will be able to show that their non-profit status has been accepted by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) or a state or territory government Department of Fair Trading. You should contact the Sydney Entertainment Processing Centre for more information.
See:
Specialist Entry Visa Charges
Sydney Entertainment Processing Centre Enquiry Form

Other costs

You may be required to pay other costs such as:

• health examinations
• obtaining police checks. This charge varies from country to country. When you are required to obtain your own police checks, you are personally responsible for all arrangements
• the cost of translations of some documents.

Application checklist

The checklist provides all the information and supporting documents that should be provided with the application. Complete applications are likely to be processed more quickly. Incomplete applications may be delayed or, in some cases, refused.

If it is not possible to provide all the supporting documentation when lodging a visa application, it is best to tell the processing office what documents are missing and when they are likely to be provided.
See: Application Document Checklist ( 64KB PDF file)

Information to help prepare your application

More information is available on certifying and translating documents, communicating with the department, using a migration agent, authorising another person to receive information from the department, and receiving assistance with your application.
See: Information to Help Prepare Your Application

How and where to lodge an application

The nomination application and visa application must be lodged together. You should send your completed visa application to your sponsor who will lodge your application and the nomination with the department.

If you want your sponsor to communicate on your behalf with the Sydney Entertainment Processing Centre, you must complete Form 956A.
See: Form 956A - Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient (116KB PDF file)

Please lodge your application and supporting documentation with the Sydney Entertainment Processing Centre.
See: Sydney Entertainment Processing Centre

After you lodge your application

Your application will be considered by the department. In some cases you may be asked to provide additional information to enable a decision to be made.

If your visa application is approved the department will send an approval letter to you or your authorised recipient by post or email. This letter contains:

• your Visa Grant Number
• the validity date of your visa
• the visa conditions.

If your visa application is not approved the department will send a refusal letter to you or your authorised recipient by post or email advising you of:

• your review rights (if any)
• the time limit for lodging an appeal
• the reasons for this decision.

More information

If you have read all of the available information for this visa, and you still require assistance, use the link below to contact us with your enquiry.
See: More Information