Does my wife, who is accompanying me to a conference in Australia, need a separate visa application?
I am from India. I have been invited to a conference in AI to be held in Australia this year. I want my wife to accompany me during the trip, since we wish to tour Australia as well during the same period. (We have been married for only 5 months and this will be our first long trip together.)
As I understand, I need to apply for a business visitor visa, while my wife needs to apply for a tourist visitor visa. Should we apply in a single application or separately? Moreover, I am a scientist, while my wife is not working currently. My trip is completely sponsored by my company, whereas I will be paying for my wife's trip. What will be the best way to present my case to the visa officer?
Best Answer
Sharing the perspective of someone who sometimes speaks at conferences.
Talk to your conference organizers
The best thing to do would be to reach out to the conference organizers. They are physically in Australia and if it's anything like conferences I've attended they're well versed in how to deal with visas.
Some larger conferences I've attended even work with law firms and would happily speak to an immigration lawyer for you if things get problematic.
We don't know all the nuances
There might be nuances in Australian immigration law with relation to your field (in this case AI). People on this site are likely not aware of those. Your conference organizers probably know about these if they exist and would love to make sure you have a smooth journey.
Conferences generally really like to make sure that speakers are happy.
If you can't reach them
A good second option would be your advisor (in academia) or boss (if working for a company in the field).
If you can't get help from them
Large open source projects you're involved in are a good third option. For example Node, which I contribute to has a travel fund and could also help with legal advice.
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Does my wife need a visa for Australia?
Allows the partner or spouse of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen to live in Australia. You apply for the temporary and the permanent partner visas together.Can I invite my spouse as a visitor to Australia?
The applicant and his or her spouse or de facto partner must be in a genuine relationship to be eligible for this visa. This is a temporary visa, and the candidate must apply for it while outside of Australia. This visa is only available to those who have a Subclass 309 visa.Can my wife come to Australia with me?
To be eligible to apply for a partner visa to Australia, you must be 18 years of age or older, at the time of lodging the application and must also be the spouse or de facto partner of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, who is at least 18 years of age.Can you apply for an Australian partner visa while on a visitor visa?
Can I apply for a Partner Visa while I am on a Subclass 600 Visitor Visa? You may be able to apply for a Partner Visa (Subclass 820/801) while in Australia on a Subclass 600 Visitor Visa if you meet the eligibility criteria and you do not have an \u201c8503 - No Further Stay\u201d condition on your visitor visa.How criminal convictions can affect your Australian visa application?
More answers regarding does my wife, who is accompanying me to a conference in Australia, need a separate visa application?
Answer 2
Check your own visa requirements first. Conferences and events on the Australian Government's website is a good starting point with expandable subheadings.
The "Event organisers and participants" section indicates that if you are an attendee but not a paid participant/speaker, you may be eligible to attend on a visitor's visa. If you are a participant, however, you may need a Temporary Activity visa (subclass 408).
The "International Event Coordinator Network" (IECN) states that the IECN provides free advice to event organisers. As recommended by Benjamin Gruenbaum in his answer, contact the conference organiser to take advantage of this.
The visa finder on the same site site suggests your wife may need a tourist (600) visa. The visa finder does not guarantee that the visa it suggests is the correct one under all cirumstances - it's just a search.
K2moo4's answer covers means of linking your family's applications together.
Note I am not a lawyer and the Home Affairs' website does not guarantee that information obtained from it is always applicable. Please attempt to confirm independently (e.g. with the organiser) that you are applying for the correct visas.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Alex Green, Alex Green, Ketut Subiyanto, Alex Green