People can come to Australia for a temporary stay for a range of purposes that may include tourism, study and short-term work.
There are 6 main categories of temporary residents, which can cover stays of more than 3 months in Australia:
- Visitor
- Working Holiday maker
- Student
- Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment)
- Other temporary visas
- New Zealand citizen Special Category visa.
Note: Not all categories apply to migrants from each country.
Visitor visas
Visitor visas are mostly used by people visiting Australia for:
- holidays
- tourism
- recreation
- seeing family and friends.
People may also use Visitor visas for certain short-term business activities that do not involve working in Australia.
Working Holiday Maker Program
This program allows young adults to have a 12-month holiday during which they can undertake short-term work and study.
Student visa
This visa allows international students to come to Australia to study full-time in a registered course.
Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment) visa
This visa allows a business to sponsor a skilled overseas worker if they cannot find a suitably skilled Australian citizen or permanent resident to fill a skilled position.
Other temporary visas
Other temporary visas include visas that allow people to:
- undertake short-term, non-ongoing highly specialised work
- enrich social and cultural development
- strengthen international relations
- provide training opportunities of benefit to Australia.
New Zealand citizens
Under the 1973 Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement, New Zealand citizens can enter and leave Australia freely and live in Australia indefinitely on grant of a Special Category visa (subclass 444).
Summary of profiles
For each of the Country profiles, see a summary of the number of temporary visas granted by main visa category in 2024–25.
