Australian High Commission
Sri Lanka
Address: 21, Gregory's Road, Colombo 7 - Telephone: +94 (0) 11 2463200 - Fax: +94 (0) 11 2686453

Visa and Immigration Services at the Australian High Commission

Welcome to the webpage for the Australian High Commission's (AHC) Visa Office in Colombo, administered by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). The AHC Visa Office provides the following servcies:

The AHC Visa Office handles visa and citizenship applications for people who are residing in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

The following visa and immigration information is available on this website:

For comprehensive information on all Australian visa and citizenship matters visit the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website

Visa Application Services

Visa applications may be lodged through TT Services Lanka (PVT) Ltd (TTS)at a Visa Application Centre located at:

51 A Dharmapala Mawatha,
Colombo 7

Phone: 011 2430991 or 011 2430992
Fax: 011 2430993

TT Services Visa Application Centre will be open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm.

The TTS Visa Application Centre will:

For further information regarding the TTS Visa Application Centre please visit the TTS website.

To make an urgent inquiry about a visa application currently awaiting a decision by this office please:

Note: The TTS Visa Application Centre service charge will be Rs. 700/- per visa application or Rs 250/- per visa evidencing request. Service charges may be paid as cash or Bank draft drawn in favour of TT services Lanka (Private) Ltd.,

Address  and Contact Details

21, Gregory's Road
Colombo 7
Sri Lanka
Telephone: (011 ) 2463270
Fax: (011 ) 268 2311
Email: immigration.colombo@dfat.gov.au

Visa Application Forms and Information

Download visa application forms, information booklets and comprehensive information about visas and citizenship free of charge.

Application forms and information sheets, including migration booklets, can be collected from the TTS Visa Application Centre during opening hours.  

  List of the Panel Doctors

Health examinations are undertaken by a Panel Doctor who has been appointed by the Australian Government for visa applicants who have applied offshore.
Appointed panel doctors for Colombo are:

PANEL DOCTORS LIST

 

How to Apply for a Visa

For information on each visa and should be submitted with the visa application, please visit the TTS website.

Applications for the following visa categories cannot be lodged with the TTS Visa Application Centre. Please visit the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website when applying for these visa categories:

Visa Application and other Charges as of 1st January 2010 in Sri Lankan Rupees   

MIGRATION APPLICATION PACKS (FAMILY) Rs 1,100
SKILLED MIGRATION PACKS Rs 2,200
MEDICAL LONG STAY Rs 6,000
VISITOR OR BUSINESS Rs 11,500
RE EVID OF RESIDENT RETURN Rs 10,900
CITIZENSHIP (DESCENT) Rs 13.100
RESIDENT RETURN Rs 28,400
TEMPORARY RESIDENT (NON BUSINESS) Rs 28,400
New Zealand citizen relationship (461) Rs 25,200
STUDENT Rs 59,100
CARER, ORPHAN, RELATIVE VISA Rs 113,800
MIGRANT (PARTNER, CHILD, OTHER FAMILY, ENS, SPECIAL) Rs 186,500
EXTENDED ELIGILITY (445) Rs 20,200

 

APPLICATIONS LODGED IN AUSTRALIA

  
SKILLED MIGRATION A$ 2,525
BUSINESS OWNER (PROVISIONAL) A$ 3,360
PARENT MIGRATION A$ 1,705

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For further information please see - Visa Application Charges 

Skilled Migration Visas

If you wish to apply to live permanently in Australia under the skilled migration program you will need to apply for a General Skilled migration visa and meet all of the following basic requirements:

Further information on skilled migration is available on the DIAC website at:

Please note that all General Skilled migration visa applications must be lodged in Australia and are processed in Australia. This office does not process these applications.

Information on the changes to Australia's Skilled Migration Program, announced on 8 February 2010, is available on the DIAC website.

Information on Student Visas

Information on student visas is available on the DIAC website and at the TTS website.

Before you apply for a student visa you should read all the relevant information about the visa requirements which apply to your proposed course of study .  You should read the information sheet 1160i  Applying for a Student Visa and the appropriate Student Visa Information leaflet.

The Australian High Commission cannot give you advice about educational institutions and courses of study in Australia.

You should lodge your student visa application about 2 months before you expect to start your course. 

Information on Student Guardian visas is available on the DIAC website.

   Streamlined student visa

The Australian High Commission Colombo has streamlined student visa arrangements with six student agents in Colombo. They are:

Streamlined student visa 
 

Information on Tourist Visas

In most cases a decision on your application will be ready 2 - 10 working days after you lodge it, but will take longer if you need to undergo medicals or if we ask for additional information.

Information on tourist visas is available on the DIAC website and TTS website.

   Information on Transit visa:

The Transit visa provides for a stay in Australia for up to 72 hours for people who transit through Australia enroute to other countries, including New Zealand if in transit more than 8 hours.

Information is available at DIAC website. 

Information about Maritime crew visa

For Information and to make an on-line application please visit t the DIAC website. 

   Family Migration

Family Migration information is available at the DIAC website.

For further details on what documents to lodge with a migration visa application, please visit the DIAC website 


Further information on partner, child and other family migration is available on the DIAC website at:

• Migrating to Australia as a partner

• Partner Migration - Booklet 1

If Your Application Is Refused

If your application is refused, you will receive a letter giving the reasons for the decision. The letter will advise whether your sponsor or relative in Australia has a review right.

Applications which are refused cannot be reconsidered by anyone at the Australian High Commission. No further correspondence or discussion will be entered into.

It is open to refused applicants to lodge a fresh application, which will be considered on its merits.  Experience has shown, however, that unless new and different information is submitted that the decision is unlikely to change.

Tourist Visa applications are most often refused because the decision maker is not satisfied that, on the evidence provided in the application, the applicant would abide by visa conditions and depart Australia at the end of any approved stay.  The reason for this may be that the decision maker is not satisfied that the applicant has shown sufficient commitments to ensure their return home.

If you intend a genuine short visit to see close family in Australia but have difficulty demonstrating your commitments to return, you should consider applying under the Sponsored Family Visitor Visa category. 

Applicants From The Maldives

The Maldives Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Male has copies of visa application forms and may provide assistance to citizens of the Maldives in lodging an application with the TTS Visa Application Centre.

The quickest way to lodge your application with TT Services and have your passport returned is to contact an international courier service in Male. You will need to pay upfront all costs in relation to delivery and return and your passport to and from the TTS office in Colombo. The AHC Visa Office is unable to make these arrangements for you.

Electronic Visitor and Business Visas (ETA) for Certain Nationalities 

Passport holders of certain countries (including USA, UK, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, European Union member countries and others) are eligible for grant of an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or an E visa. This visa provides for short visits to Australia for tourism or business purposes.  It is electronic and no visa label will be placed in you passport.

The eligible nationalities are listed on the DIAC website.

If eligible you can also obtain your visa from this site without visiting a visa office.

Alternatively, if you bring your eligible passport to the visa counter during lodgement hours you may be issued with an ETA visa free of charge.  No application form or other documents are necessary.

Warning  to Non-Genuine Applicants!

Australia has severe penalties for those who break immigration law.  It is an offence under Australian immigration law to provide false documents or make misleading statements in a visa application. Your application will be refused and in addition you may be barred by law from making further applications for a period of years.

You are strongly advised not to listen to people who tell you they can 'arrange' a visa for a sum of money.   Information and assistance is available from the Visa Office for those who intend to obtain their visa legally and abide by the conditions laid down in Australian law. Please ensure that you obtain an official receipt for any money you pay for a visa or visa-related services.  Note also that anyone providing false or misleading information with an intent to deceive an official into granting a

visa fraudulently is breaking Sri Lankan law. Anyone who provides false or fraudulent documentation in support of a visa application may also be breaking Sri Lankan law and may be handed over to the police.

   On Visa processing times

Information on visa processing time is available on the TTS website - Client Service Charter.

   Migration Agents

    Information about migration agents operating outside Australia


Advice for visa applicants

The majority of applications processed by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) are not lodged by migration agents.

However, if you do not feel confident in lodging a visa application, or if your case is complex, you may wish to use a registered migration agent.

It is a legal requirement that migration agents operating in Australia are registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (Office of the MARA). Some migration agents registered in Australia have practices in
other countries. You can search for registered agents on the Office of the MARA website at www.mara.com.au.

Lodging of applications

You can lodge an application directly with DIAC or have a representative lodge an application on your behalf. The department accepts all applications presented, regardless of who lodges them. Most applications can be lodged online.

If an unregistered migration agent located outside of Australia lodges an application on your behalf, they are given an identifying number. This number is used for DIAC’s administrative purposes and does not give priority nor confer
privilege on the agent.

Information on visas, the application process, and contact details of DIAC offices are available at www.immi.gov.au.

Choosing to use a migration agent

If you wish to engage a migration agent, DIAC recommends using an agent registered with the Office of the MARA, or where this is not possible, one that is accredited in your country.

If you suspect your Office of the MARA registered agent is engaging in criminal behaviour, you should advise your local DIAC office. Other complaints about Office of the MARA registered agents can be made at www.mara.com.au.

If you wish to use an unregistered agent outside of Australia, make sure you understand what you can reasonably expect from them and know your options if the agent acts incompetently, dishonestly or fraudulently. If you suspect an unregistered migration agent is engaging in criminal behaviour, you should report them to your local law enforcement authority and inform your local DIAC office.

Remember

• You do not need to use a migration agent.
• If you choose to use a migration agent, use one that is registered.
• DIAC recommends you use a migration agent registered in Australia.

   Feedback

Compliments and complaints about the service you receive from this office or TTS should be sent to the Global Feedback unit (GFU).

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