Migration As An Academic / Artist

[Poodle]

Hello!

I am a professor in the USA that teaches completely online. I would like to spend 6 months to 1 year in Australia for research and project development. I would not need a work permit and am 100% self-supporting, as earnings are from USA.

I will be living with friends that are AU citizens.

Would this be allowable?
What type of visa should I apply for?
Would it be better to first get the 3 month tourist visa and extend it while in AU?
Or would it be better to just exit AU for a short time, then return?

Thanks!
Deborah

[Sheelagh Blanckenberg]

Hi Deborah

Welcome to the Migration Help forum.

If you have been invited to visit Australia on a temporary basis, to observe or participate in an Australian research project at an Australian tertiary or research institution there is what is known as a Visiting Academic visa which you could apply for. You must not receive any remuneration other than a contribution towards living and travel expenses. You must be sponsored and nominated by the Australian tertiary or research institution for this visa.

if you have not been invited or sponsored to come to Australia by a tertiary or research institution, so long as you do not intend to work, it may be appropriate for you to apply for a Visitor visa.

For a Visitor visa you have two choices:

1. As an American passport holder, obtain an electronic visitor visa, or ETA as it is known, through your travel agent or online via the following website https://www.eta.immi.gov.au/ . This ETA will grant you entry to Australia for up to 3 months for each visit you make to Australia. Once in Australia, and prior to your first 3 months expiring, you do one of the following:

a) leave Australia and re-enter. On re-entry you will be allowed to stay for a further 3 months. The risk of doing this is that if you do what is known as a 'visa run' too often you may be stopped, questioned and warned by immigration officials who will suspect you are actually working in Australia and thus in breach of the visitor visa conditions. OR,

b) you apply via an immigration office in Australia for an 'extension' of your visitor ETA. It's not technically an extension as such but rather a brand new visa application. In this 'extension' request you will need to explain why the extension is being requested, how you anticipate supporting yourself for the period of time requested etc etc. All up it is unlikely that you will be granted more than a cumulative 12 month stay.

2. Apply straight away for a 12 month visitor visa via the Australian Embassy in Washington. You can find more information on how to apply for this s/c 676 visa on the embassy website at http://www.usa.embassy.gov.au/. Once again, to support this application you will be asked to provide an explanation of why you are visiting for such a period of time, evidence of how you will support yourself etc etc.


Kind regards
Sheelagh

[Amin Rahman]

Why not arrange a sabbatical placement at a university in Australia? There will be departments in many universities in Australia, where there are others like you, engaged in developing online courses. They should be happy to provide you with an office only for 6 months to one year. You will have access to the university facilities, including library, cafeteria, staff, computer system etc.. Both you and the staff within the host department will benefit as you can all discuss and exchange ideas related to onine course development and other academic and non-academic matters.

Regards

Amin Rahman MARN0322761