Embassy of Australia — Local services in Washington

for Indians living in USA, the wait for a business visa is 4-6 weeks. there is no way to expedite the application. Citizens of many countries are allowed to submit applications online but not Indians. (Even citizens of countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan are allowed to submit online applications to get their visa quickly.) After receipt of a paper application it takes 3 weeks for them to enter the application in the system.

Secondly, the contact number they provide for visa inquiries does not work at times. even when you get connected, it takes about 30 minutes before someone answers your phone. the agents that answer your call don't know what the paper copy form asks for. They said they will contact me when my application is entered in the system. I had to remind them that they have not captured my email address on the forms to communicate with me. and guess what they told me - I have to send another paper application to tell them what my email address is.

For Indians living in India, the embassy charges a hefty $1000 to expedite. This option is not even available to those living outside India.

All in all, a very bad experience with the Australia Visa application. I had to cancel my...

I dealt with the Australian Embassy in Washington last week. I submitted three passport renewal applications for my three children. Indeed, the Passport Office team is very supportive and friendly. They explained to me in very candid manner the need to obtain the correct size and type of photos, the requirements of qualified Guarantor, etc. The team makes you feel home in Australia. Many thanks to...

I first e-mailed the Australian consulate in New York City, and they responded quite quickly saying they would forward the e-mail to the australian embassy in DC.They responded a few days later saying they would send a small flag, as requested, and earlier today I received the flag, a map of australia and a picture of the Sydney opera house. Overall EXTREMELY...