Belgian passport holders can immigrate to Australia from Belgium following specific immigration procedures, which are designed for the majority of the European nationals. Rules can vary based on the country, as in Europe, there are 2 main categories of states, namely, states belonging to the European Union (EU) area and the non-EU states.
Belgium is an EU member state, therefore it benefits from the same rules and regulations available for other EU nationals, who can migrate to Australia for the purpose of employment, business, investment, study, research and others. Our Australia migration lawyer can present all the immigration options available for Belgian nationals.
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Do Belgian nationals need a visa for Australia?
Belgian passport holders are required to apply for a visa regardless of the purpose or the duration of the stay. This is due to the fact that there aren’t any visa exemptions for European nationals or for any other foreign visitors, with the exception of New Zealanders.
However, some EU nationals, Belgians included, benefit from a simpler immigration process when it comes to short-term stays visas, issued for tourism-related purposes. Here, the law on immigration in Australia provides for 2 types of visas – the traditional tourism visa, issued by addressing Australian immigration authorities, and the electronic tourism visa, which can be obtained online.
The latter, known as the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA), is available for Belgian nationals who have a valid passport. Please mind that ETA is open only for some EU states, such as France, Germany, Spain. Upon the application, the following apply:
- the law on immigration to Australia stipulates that the electronic visa is available for a period of 1 year;
- however, the Belgians can’t stay in Australia for a period of 1 year, as the visa allows stays of maximum 90 days at a time, followed by a period of minimum 90 days of stay elsewhere (in Belgium or other states);
- Belgians are 1 of the 33 nationalities that can apply for ETA (it is available for some non-EU states as well as for other countries around the world, such as Hong Kong or Singapore);
- the visa is known as the Subclass 601;
- applicants are required to pay a fee of AUD 20 for the download of the app that allows them to apply for the visa.
What are the main employment visas in Australia?
Many foreigners opt to migrate to Australia for employment and this is why this category offers the largest number of visas issued by the Australian authorities, but also because the Australian market needs foreign employment.
There is a variety of options, from short-term work to permanent employment, from unskilled work to highly skilled work and the possibility to apply for one of the many options relies on the applicant’s work experience and formal education.
Some of the visas can offer the right to residency in Australia, which can be temporary or permanent and in general, work visas can be used only for employment purposes. There are also mixed visas, that offer multiple rights and benefits, such as the work holiday visa.
According to the Embassy of Belgium in Australia, the 2 countries signed an agreement for the creation of a work holiday program in 2002. The program was enforced in 2004 by allowing the nationals of the 2 countries to relocate in the other country for the purpose of developing an immigration program that grants the possibility to work, study and training.
Given that the program is developed as a short-term immigration program (only 1 year), it can’t be used by those who want to acquire Australian citizenship. For this, permanent work visas must be used, such as the Subclass 189, Subclass 887, Subclass 186 and others.
We invite you to contact our immigration lawyer in Australia if you want to relocate here on a permanent basis following the employment immigration route. We can also assist Belgians who want to set up a business in Australia.
