Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601): US passport holders are eligible for the ETA and must apply through the Australian ETA app before travelling. An ETA allows tourism, visiting family and friends, and business visitor activities such as meetings and conferences, but no work. Study of up to 3 months is allowed. Applicants with a criminal record may be refused an ETA and should use the Visitor visa (subclass 600) instead. Australia is not in the Schengen area, so Australian days do not use any European allowance.
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Living in Australia long term
Australia gives US passport holders simple short entry through the AUD 20 Electronic Travel Authority, but no retirement, passive income or golden visa: the Retirement and Investor Retirement visas are closed to new applicants, and the old business investment program was replaced in December 2024 by the invitation only National Innovation Visa for people with an exceptional record of achievement. Real long stays run through employer sponsorship (the subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa into the permanent subclass 186), study, or a Work and Holiday year for 18 to 30 year olds. Parent migration exists but is capped and queued, with Home Affairs now estimating about 18 years for a new Contributory Parent application and about 42 years for a new Parent application.
Numbers on this page apply to holders of a US passport. Page last verified: 2026-10-15
Rules change. Confirm the current rules with the official source or the consulate for Australia before you apply, pay a fee, or book travel around a date in this table.
Every route, with the math
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| Route | Income required | Investment required | Total cost | Processing time | Days allowed | Renewal rules | Tax residency trigger | Years to permanent residency | Years to citizenship | Last verified | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) Tourist allowance | Not applicable. Home Affairs sets no income threshold for an ETA. You must intend a genuine visit, be outside Australia when you apply, and have enough money for your stay. | Not applicable | AUD 20 service charge to use the Australian ETA app. There is no visa application charge for an ETA (Home Affairs). | In most cases Home Affairs tells you the result immediately through the ETA app. Applications that need further information or checks take longer (Home Affairs). | Up to 3 months per entry. The ETA lasts 12 months from grant and allows unlimited entries during that period. | An ETA cannot be extended. When it expires you apply for a new ETA from outside Australia, or apply for a different visa, such as a Visitor visa (subclass 600), if you want a longer stay. | A short visit does not make you an Australian tax resident. The ATO applies four tests: the resides test, the domicile test, the 183-day test (present in Australia for more than half the income year, unless your usual place of abode is outside Australia and you do not intend to take up residence), and the Commonwealth superannuation test. A holiday or business visit of up to 3 months meets none of them. | Not applicable. The ETA is a visitor product only and provides no path to permanent residence. | ETA time alone does not lead to citizenship. Citizenship by conferral requires 4 years living in Australia on a valid visa immediately before applying, including the last 12 months as a permanent resident. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Visitor visa, Tourist stream (subclass 600) Tourist allowance | Not applicable. There is no set income threshold. You must show enough money to support yourself during the stay and satisfy Home Affairs that you intend to visit only. | Not applicable | From AUD 250 base application charge when applying from outside Australia, for applications lodged from 1 July 2026 (Home Affairs). Applying from inside Australia costs from AUD 630 (reported). | Home Affairs publishes processing times in its visa processing time guide tool. The published median for visitor visas is less than 1 day, but individual Tourist stream applications are decided case by case and can take longer (reported). | A stay of 3, 6 or 12 months, as granted. Home Affairs lists the Tourist stream stay as up to 12 months. | A Visitor visa cannot be extended. You can apply for a further Visitor visa, from inside Australia only if your current visa does not carry a No Further Stay condition (8503). Repeat long tourist stays attract genuine visitor scrutiny. | A visit does not by itself make you an Australian tax resident. The ATO applies four tests: the resides test, the domicile test, the 183-day test (present in Australia for more than half the income year, unless your usual place of abode is outside Australia and you do not intend to take up residence), and the Commonwealth superannuation test. A single visit of up to 12 months spent living as a settled resident could meet the resides test, so long-stay visitors should check their position with the ATO tests. | Not applicable. The Visitor visa provides no path to permanent residence. | Visitor time alone does not lead to citizenship. Citizenship by conferral requires 4 years living in Australia on a valid visa immediately before applying, including the last 12 months as a permanent resident. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| National Innovation Visa (subclass 858) Other | No fixed income threshold. You must show an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement in a profession, sport, the arts, or academia and research, that you are still prominent in the field, and that you would be an asset to Australia. A salary history or offer at or above the Fair Work High Income Threshold (AUD 190,100 from 1 July 2026) is one accepted form of evidence of that record (reported). | Not applicable. The NIV replaced the Business Innovation and Investment Program and sets no required investment amount, although innovative investors are one of its four target groups. | AUD 6,235 base application charge for the primary applicant for applications lodged from 1 July 2026, plus AUD 3,120 for an additional applicant aged 18 or over and AUD 1,560 for a child (reported, from the Department of Home Affairs charge schedule as published by migration law firms). | Home Affairs publishes no fixed timeframe and the Expression of Interest and invitation stage has no published timeframe. Based on Home Affairs processing data, about 50 percent of lodged applications were decided within 4 months and 90 percent within 7 months (reported). | Permanent stay. The visa lets you live in Australia indefinitely and carries a 5 year travel facility. | Not applicable. This is a permanent visa and is not renewed. After the 5 year travel facility expires, a Resident Return visa is needed to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident. | As a permanent resident who settles in Australia you will normally satisfy the ATO resides test and be taxed on worldwide income. The ATO applies four tests: the resides test, the domicile test, the 183-day test, and the Commonwealth superannuation test; meeting any one test makes you a tax resident. | 0 years. The National Innovation Visa is itself a permanent visa, so permanent residence starts on grant. | 4 years. Citizenship by conferral requires 4 years living in Australia on a valid visa immediately before applying, including the last 12 months as a permanent resident, absences of no more than 12 months in total across the 4 years and no more than 90 days in the final year. The conferral application fee is AUD 595 from 1 July 2026. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) Work | A guaranteed annual salary at or above the Core Skills Income Threshold of AUD 79,423 a year in the Core Skills stream, or at or above the Specialist Skills Income Threshold of AUD 146,576 a year in the Specialist Skills stream, for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026, and always at least the annual market salary rate for the occupation (reported; Home Affairs indexes these thresholds each 1 July). | Not applicable | AUD 4,015 base application charge for the primary applicant for applications lodged from 1 July 2026 (reported). The employer separately pays a sponsorship charge of AUD 420, a nomination charge of AUD 330, and the Skilling Australians Fund levy of AUD 1,200 per year of nomination for a business with turnover under AUD 10 million, or AUD 1,800 per year for a larger business. By law these employer costs cannot be passed to the visa holder. | Home Affairs publishes processing times in its visa processing time guide tool. Reported figures from Home Affairs data: a median of about 14 days for the Specialist Skills stream and about 63 days for the Core Skills stream, with about 90 percent of Core Skills applications decided within 9 months (reported). | Up to 4 years per grant. | There is no renewal as such and no fixed cap on successive grants. If the employer lodges a new nomination and the requirements are still met, a further Skills in Demand visa can be granted. | Most 482 holders living and working in Australia satisfy the ATO resides test and are tax residents. A tax resident on a temporary visa who is not a permanent resident or citizen, and whose spouse is not either, is a temporary resident for tax purposes and is generally taxed only on Australian source income and on income from employment or services performed while a temporary resident. The ATO applies four residency tests: resides, domicile, 183-day, and Commonwealth superannuation. | 2 years. After at least 2 years working full time for the sponsoring employer in the nominated occupation while holding a 482, the employer can nominate you for permanent residence under the subclass 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream. | 4 years. Time on a 482 counts toward the 4 years living in Australia on a valid visa, and the last 12 months must be as a permanent resident. The citizenship by conferral application fee is AUD 595 from 1 July 2026. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) Work | A guaranteed annual salary at or above the Core Skills Income Threshold of AUD 79,423 a year, and at least the annual market salary rate for the occupation, for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 (reported; the threshold is indexed each 1 July). | Not applicable | AUD 6,140 base application charge for the primary applicant (Home Affairs), plus AUD 3,070 for an additional applicant aged 18 or over and AUD 1,535 for a child (reported). The employer pays a nomination charge of AUD 540 and a Skilling Australians Fund levy of AUD 3,000 for a business with turnover under AUD 10 million, or AUD 5,000 for a larger business, neither of which can be passed to the visa holder. | Home Affairs publishes processing times in its visa processing time guide tool. The published median for skilled permanent visas is about 11 months, and reported figures for the Direct Entry stream run to about 20 months at the 90th percentile (reported). | Permanent stay. The visa lets you live in Australia indefinitely and carries a 5 year travel facility. | Not applicable. This is a permanent visa and is not renewed. After the 5 year travel facility expires, a Resident Return visa is needed to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident. | As a permanent resident who settles in Australia you will normally satisfy the ATO resides test and be taxed on worldwide income. The ATO applies four tests: the resides test, the domicile test, the 183-day test, and the Commonwealth superannuation test; meeting any one test makes you a tax resident. | 0 years. The 186 is itself a permanent visa, so permanent residence starts on grant. On the Temporary Residence Transition stream the qualifying work is the 2 years of sponsored employment before nomination. | 4 years. Citizenship by conferral requires 4 years living in Australia on a valid visa immediately before applying, including the last 12 months as a permanent resident, absences of no more than 12 months in total across the 4 years and no more than 90 days in the final year. The conferral application fee is AUD 595 from 1 July 2026. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) Other | No income test. You must show sufficient funds to support the first part of your stay, generally taken as about AUD 5,000, plus a return or onward ticket, or enough money to buy one. | Not applicable | AUD 840 base application charge for a first Work and Holiday visa for applications lodged from 1 July 2026. A second or third year application costs AUD 1,000 (reported). | Home Affairs publishes processing times in its visa processing time guide tool. Straightforward applications are commonly decided within about 8 weeks (reported). | 12 months from the date of first entry, with unlimited entries during that year. Work is allowed, generally for no more than 6 months with one employer, and study is allowed for up to 4 months. | A second Work and Holiday visa is available after 3 months of specified work in regional Australia during the first year, and a third after 6 months of specified work during the second year. Each is a new application with its own charge. | Working holiday makers are taxed under specific ATO rules. If your employer is registered with the ATO, working holiday income is taxed at 15 percent on the first AUD 45,000. Because the tax treaty between Australia and the United States contains a non-discrimination article, a US citizen who is an Australian resident for tax purposes is instead taxed at ordinary resident rates with the tax-free threshold. Residency itself is decided by the ATO tests: resides, domicile, 183-day, and Commonwealth superannuation. | Not applicable. There is no permanent residence path from a 462 itself. Holders who want to stay permanently must qualify under another program, most commonly employer sponsorship through the subclass 482 and then the subclass 186. | Time on a 462 counts toward the 4 years living in Australia on a valid visa only if you go on to hold a permanent visa for the final 12 months before applying. The citizenship by conferral application fee is AUD 595 from 1 July 2026. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Student visa (subclass 500) Study | This route tests financial capacity rather than income. You must show funds for the first 12 months of your stay: living costs of AUD 29,710 a year, plus the first year of course fees and travel costs. Add AUD 10,394 a year for an accompanying partner and AUD 4,449 a year for each accompanying child. | Not applicable | AUD 2,500 base application charge for the primary applicant for applications lodged from 1 July 2026 (reported). Overseas Student Health Cover premiums are an additional mandatory cost for the whole stay. | Home Affairs publishes processing times in its visa processing time guide tool, and times vary by education sector. The published median for student visas is about 30 days (reported). | For the duration of the enrolled course, up to a maximum of 5 years, usually with a short additional period after the course ends. | A further Student visa can be applied for if you enrol in a further course and still meet the Genuine Student, financial capacity, English and health cover requirements. | The ATO generally treats a student who is enrolled in a course of more than six months and living in Australia for their studies as a resident for tax purposes under the resides test. The ATO applies four tests in total: resides, domicile, 183-day, and Commonwealth superannuation. | No direct path. Time on a Student visa does not itself lead to permanent residence. Graduates commonly move to a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) after their course and then qualify under a skilled or employer sponsored program. | Student time on a valid visa counts toward the 4 years living in Australia before applying, but you must hold a permanent visa for the final 12 months. The citizenship by conferral application fee is AUD 595 from 1 July 2026. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Parent and Contributory Parent visas (subclasses 103 and 143) Other | Not applicable to the parent. There is no income test on the applicant, but the parent must be sponsored by a child who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen settled in Australia, must meet the balance of family test (at least half of their children living in Australia, or more children in Australia than in any other single country), and must have an approved Assurance of Support. The assurer must meet income requirements set by Services Australia. | Not applicable | Subclass 103: base application charge of AUD 6,600 for the main applicant for applications lodged from 1 July 2026 (reported). Subclass 143: a first instalment of AUD 6,300 (reported), then a second instalment of AUD 43,600 per adult applicant payable before grant, plus a refundable Assurance of Support bond of AUD 10,000 for the main applicant, held for 10 years. The total government charge for one subclass 143 applicant is about AUD 49,900 before the bond. | Capped and queued, so these are queue estimates rather than service standards. Home Affairs estimates that a new Contributory Parent application will take about 18 years, and a new Parent or Aged Parent application about 42 years (Home Affairs, estimates updated for the 2026-27 program year). As at 31 August 2026 the department was releasing Contributory Parent applications with queue dates up to November 2018, and Parent applications with queue dates up to March 2014. | Permanent stay once granted. Both visas let the holder live in Australia indefinitely and carry a 5 year travel facility. | Not applicable once granted. These are permanent visas. After the 5 year travel facility expires, a Resident Return visa is needed to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident. | Once granted and settled in Australia, a parent will normally satisfy the ATO resides test and be taxed on worldwide income. The ATO applies four tests: the resides test, the domicile test, the 183-day test, and the Commonwealth superannuation test; meeting any one test makes you a tax resident. | This route is itself permanent residence, but only after the queue. On Home Affairs estimates a new subclass 143 application waits about 18 years and a new subclass 103 application about 42 years before grant. | 4 years. After grant, citizenship by conferral requires 4 years living in Australia on a valid visa including the last 12 months as a permanent resident. The conferral application fee is AUD 595 from 1 July 2026. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Retirement and Investor Retirement visas (subclasses 410 and 405), closed Retirement | Not in operation for new applicants. When the subclass 405 last operated it required net income of at least AUD 65,000 a year, or AUD 50,000 a year in regional Australia, together with assets of at least AUD 750,000, or AUD 500,000 in regional Australia (reported, historical criteria). | Not in operation for new applicants. When the subclass 405 last operated it required a designated investment of AUD 750,000 in the sponsoring state or territory, or AUD 500,000 in regional Australia (reported, historical criteria). Australia has no other investment based retirement visa, and the Business Innovation and Investment Program also closed to new applicants in 2024. | Not in operation for new applicants, so there is no current application charge for a new retiree. Charges apply only to existing holders renewing a subclass 405 or 410, and to pathway applications under the parent subclasses. | Not in operation for new applicants. Existing holders using the permanent residence pathway join the parent visa queue described on this page. | Not in operation for new applicants. Existing subclass 405 holders hold a 4 year temporary visa; subclass 410 holders hold a long term temporary visa that they continue to roll over. | Not in operation for new applicants. Existing subclass 405 and 410 holders can still apply to renew or roll over their visas while they continue to meet the conditions, including state sponsorship and health insurance for subclass 405. | Existing retiree visa holders who live in Australia will generally satisfy the ATO resides test and be tax residents. The ATO applies four tests: the resides test, the domicile test, the 183-day test, and the Commonwealth superannuation test; meeting any one test makes you a tax resident. Some long term temporary residents qualify for the temporary resident tax concessions described on the Skills in Demand route. | Not available directly. Subclass 410 and 405 visas never led to permanent residence on their own. Since 2018, existing holders can use the retiree pathway into the Parent (103) or Contributory Parent (143) subclasses, and then wait in the parent queue. | Citizenship by conferral requires 4 years living in Australia on a valid visa including the last 12 months as a permanent resident, so a 410 or 405 holder must first gain permanent residence, normally through the retiree pathway into the parent subclasses. The conferral application fee is AUD 595 from 1 July 2026. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
Route notes
Visitor visa, Tourist stream (subclass 600): The subclass 600 is the route for longer tourist stays, for visiting family, or for travellers who cannot use an ETA, for example because of a criminal record. It allows no work. A Sponsored Family stream also exists where an Australian citizen or permanent resident relative sponsors the visit, and a security bond may be requested. For US citizens making short trips the AUD 20 ETA is simpler and cheaper; the 600 is the practical option for stays of more than 3 months at a time.
National Innovation Visa (subclass 858): The NIV launched on 6 December 2024, replacing the Global Talent visa (also subclass 858) and closing the Business Innovation and Investment Program (subclasses 188 and 888) to new applicants. It is invitation only: you lodge an Expression of Interest, and only invited candidates may apply, within 60 days of invitation. A nominator with a national reputation in your field (an Australian citizen, permanent resident, eligible New Zealand citizen, or Australian organisation) must complete a Form 1000 nomination. Applications are prioritised in tiers under Ministerial Direction 120, favouring top of field award winners and Tier 1 sectors: critical technologies, renewables and low emission technologies, and health industries. The four target groups are global researchers, entrepreneurs, innovative investors, and athletes and creatives. There is no age limit, but applicants under 18 or over 55 must show they would be of exceptional benefit to Australia. A second instalment of the visa application charge applies to applicants aged 18 or over who do not have functional English.
Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482): The Skills in Demand visa replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage visa on 7 December 2024. You must be nominated by an approved employer sponsor, have at least 1 year of relevant work experience in the nominated occupation or a related field, and meet English requirements. The Core Skills stream requires an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List. The Specialist Skills stream has no occupation list but excludes trades workers, machinery operators, drivers and labourers. There is no age limit for the 482 itself. Holders can change employers, but a new nomination is required and the time working for the sponsoring employer is what builds the path to permanent residence.
Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186): The 186 has three streams. Temporary Residence Transition: for 482 or 457 holders who have worked for the nominating employer for at least 2 of the last 3 years. Direct Entry: for applicants with at least 3 years of relevant work experience and a positive skills assessment, in an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List. Labour Agreement: for workers whose employer has a labour agreement with the government. Direct Entry and Temporary Residence Transition applicants must generally be under 45, unless an exemption applies, such as the Fair Work High Income Threshold exemption (AUD 190,100 from 1 July 2026). Competent English is required.
Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462): The United States is a Work and Holiday partner country, so US citizens apply for subclass 462 (most Europeans use subclass 417 instead). The age limit is 18 to 30 years old inclusive at the time of application. US applicants need a Senior Secondary Certificate of Education or equivalent, meaning a high school diploma. US citizens do not need a letter of support from their government, and are not subject to the ballot that applies to applicants from China, India and Vietnam. You must apply from outside Australia, must not have previously entered on a Working Holiday Maker visa, and cannot be accompanied by dependent children. Unlike the subclass 600 and ETA, this visa is designed for a long stay built around short term work funding travel.
Student visa (subclass 500): You must be enrolled in a course registered on CRICOS and hold a Confirmation of Enrolment, meet the Genuine Student requirement that replaced the Genuine Temporary Entrant test in March 2024, and hold Overseas Student Health Cover for the whole stay. Work is limited to 48 hours per fortnight while the course is in session, and unlimited hours in scheduled course breaks. There is no age limit for the Student visa itself.
Parent and Contributory Parent visas (subclasses 103 and 143): Parent visas are capped and queued: each year the government sets a maximum number of grants, and applications wait in queue date order. The number of parent places was cut for 2026-27, which lengthened the official estimates. The subclass 173 Contributory Parent (Temporary) visa lets parents split the subclass 143 cost over two applications. A separate Sponsored Parent visa (subclass 870) allows stays of 3 or 5 years for visiting parents but is temporary and is not a path to permanent residence. Parents already in Australia who are of Australian pension age use the Aged Parent (804) and Contributory Aged Parent (864) equivalents, with the same queues.
Retirement and Investor Retirement visas (subclasses 410 and 405), closed: The plain position is that Australia has no retirement visa a new applicant can apply for. The Retirement visa (subclass 410) has been closed to new applicants since 2009, apart from partners of existing holders, and the Investor Retirement visa (subclass 405) closed to new applicants in 2018. Since 17 November 2018, long term holders of subclass 410 and 405 visas have had a pathway to permanent residence: they can apply in Australia for a Parent (subclass 103) or Contributory Parent (subclass 143) visa without needing an Australian child sponsor or meeting the balance of family test, with places taken from the parent program. New retirees without Australian children have no equivalent route and must use a work, study, partner or visitor option.