From today, 29 September 2026, all applications for Australia’s popular Subclass 651 eVisitor visa must be lodged online using Form 1362 after the Migration (Arrangements for eVisitor Visa Applications) Instrument 2026 (LIN 26/061) came into force. The instrument, registered yesterday, replaces IMMI 16/111 and formally embeds what has long been the Department of Home Affairs’ preferred channel: a fully electronic application lodged through ImmiAccount. In practical terms nothing changes for travellers from the 36 European countries eligible for an eVisitor, but the remake removes any residual ambiguity about paper lodgement or agent-submitted PDF forms. Migration agents warn that an application that is lodged outside the prescribed internet channel is now invalid at law. That could catch out small tour operators still using legacy workflows or clients who try to post forms directly to overseas embassies. The Department says the remake is part of a broader push to digitise 90 percent of visa applications by 2027, cutting processing costs and fraud risk. Border systems already pre-populate passenger cards using ImmiAccount data; the Department expects the tighter linkage to improve automated risk profiling and allow low-risk visitors to clear SmartGates faster. Airlines will also benefit because Advance Passenger Processing error messages should drop when passport data is entered only once by the traveller. For multinational employers the main implication lies in compliance: staff travelling on an eVisitor for short business meetings must now keep screenshots of the online form and confirmation email as part of their travel file. Internal auditors have flagged several recent cases where expense claims lacked proof that the correct visa was held. Firms with European assignees making frequent trips should build the new form number and URL into pre-trip checklists.
