Student Visa Holders in People's Republic of China Travelling to Australia

From 1 April 2012, the department implemented arrangements that allow Chinese and other nationals in the People's Republic of China to travel to Australia on a Student visa without a visa label in their passport (a 'label-free' visa). These arrangements have been agreed with the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China.

The department requires all airlines to undertake an electronic check of departmental databases to ensure that a person holds an Australian visa before allowing a person to board a flight to Australia. This means that airlines should only allow a person to travel on a flight to Australia (whether direct from China or through a transit airport) when they are satisfied the person has permission to travel to and enter Australia as a result of this electronic check.

To ensure that a person understands the validity and conditions of their Student visa, the department will continue to issue all Student visa holders with a grant notification letter informing them of these details. The department does not consider the letter as evidence of the grant of a Student visa for the purpose of travel. In the absence of a confirmation through the electronic check, airlines have been advised not to rely on any letter as evidence of a person's permission to travel to and enter Australia.

The Ministry of Public Security has advised that they will only allow a person who has been granted a 'label-free' Student visa to depart China where they depart:

• from an airport in mainland China travelling on a flight or flights, directly or indirectly, to Australia and hold a boarding pass for their final flight to Australia
• mainland China transiting by land or ferry through the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in order to travel on a flight or flights to Australia.

The Ministry of Public Security has advised that any person granted a label-free Student visa to travel to Australia will not be able to transit through the Macau Special Administrative Region, by land or ferry, to board an onward flight in Macau or Hong Kong.

If any person holding a Student visa has any queries about their visa conditions they should follow the advice in their grant notification letter.

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