Holidaying in Australia? Indians can now apply for a tourist visa online

Will offer benefits like 24/7 accessibility, electronic payment, check status of the visa online

The Australian government today announced that Indian nationals can apply for a visitor visa online starting July 1.

Australia's Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Alex Hawke, said the online application option would make applying for the country's visitor visas easier and enhance the experience for Indians.

There has been a significant increase in demand for Australian visas in India with the rising popularity of Australia as a holiday destination, an official statement said.

In the first four months of 2017 alone, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection granted more than 65,000 visitor visas to Indian nationals.

"Online lodgement for visitor visa applications is a significant enhancement that will benefit Indian applicants seeking to visit Australia as tourists or business visitors, or those wanting to reconnect with family and friends," Hawke said.

It will offer benefits like 24/7 accessibility, electronic payment of the visa application charge and the ability to check the status of applications lodged online, all through the department's ImmiAccount portal.

"Being able to check the status of an application online, as soon as it is finalised, will allow Indian applicants to finalise their travel arrangements as soon as possible," he said.