Step 3 - Applicant Applies for the Visa

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

Before you lodge your visa application, the sponsor that has nominated you, must be approved as a Religious Worker Sponsor or have lodged an application to be approved as a sponsor.

Application form

You must complete the visa application and attach all necessary documentation as outlined in the Application Document Checklist.
See: Form 147 Application for a temporary residence visa (non-business) (503KB PDF file)

Visa application charge

There is a non-refundable charge for this application.
See: Specialist Entry Visa Charges

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 you may be asked to provide with your application. Complete applications are likely to be processed more quickly. Incomplete applications may be delayed or, in some cases, refused.

If you cannot provide all the supporting documentation when you lodge your visa application, you should tell the office what documents are missing and when you expect to be able to provide them.
See: Application Document Checklist ( 55KB PDF file)

Information to help prepare your application

Information about 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

If you are applying in Australia, you will need to be in Australia at the time a decision is made to grant the visa.

If you are applying outside Australia, you will need to be outside Australia at the time a decision is made to grant the visa.

You can lodge your application (and appropriate charge) by post, fax, courier or in person.

Your location	Lodge your application:
In Australia	Lodge with the ACT Specialist Temporary Entry Processing Centre in the ACT and Regions Office. See: Specialist Temporary Entry Processing Centre
Outside Australia	Lodge at your nearest Australian mission overseas. See: Immigration Offices outside Australia

Applicants are advised to apply for a visa well in advance (two to three months) of their intended date of travel.

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 you an approval letter 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 you a refusal letter 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