# Australia Visitor Visa 600 - No invitation letter



## dkmk (Oct 9, 2016)

Hi All,

Myself and my wife are PR holders. My wife is planning to go to Melbourne in search for a job and would like her parents to come along to help her settle down. We are planning to apply for a 6 month stay under the tourist stream. From all the information I have come across for the visitor visa it seems like an invitation letter is required. However we are currently in India and it would be difficult to get one.

Is an invitation letter necessary? Would it be possible to get the visa without one? Also, is there any chance of getting a 6 month long stay approved? My in-laws will be able to show sufficient funds for supporting themselves during the 6-month stay.

Thanks,
dkmk


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## dkmk (Oct 9, 2016)

I figured this out on my own. Got a multiple entry visitor visa for my in-laws with 3 years validity and condition 8558 (max 12 months stay in 18 months period).

Here is how I went about applying for the Visa -

Sifting through the DIBP website and other forums did not give me a clear picture about how to apply. So I put myself in the COs position and thought about how I would scrutinize an application like mine. These are the questions I thought a CO would require answers to -

1. Why do you want to come to Australia?
2. Who are you?
3. Which part of Australia will you visit?
4. When will you come to Australia and how long do you intend to stay?
5. Do you have enough money to support your stay and travel in Australia? 
6. What is the guarantee that you will go back to your home country?

Come to think of it, these are pretty standard questions, but what made it tricky for us was that we had not yet migrated to Australia and also had no job offers. Also we required a visa which would allow my in-laws to stay there for 6 months at a stretch instead of in chunks of 3 months.

Anyways, this is how I went about answering above questions with documents to back up my answers, though I am not sure what worked and what didn't. Got the visa, and I guess that's what matters in the end.

1. Why do you want to come to Australia?
- Applied online under the tourist stream and gave requirement of staying for 6 months. This (obviously) said that my in-laws wish to come to Australia for tourist activities. So the next question was, why do they need 6 months for tourist activities? Our requirement was that my in-laws could help us settle down and also take up tourist activities. I decided to be honest about that and asked my wife to prepare a letter stating that she requires her parents to help her settle down and that she also wants them to visit various tourist destinations in Australia. Six months would be ideal for this and would give them sufficient time. I called this a 'Covering Letter' instead of an 'Invitation Letter' since we were not in Australia. Don't know if it makes any difference.
Since my wife had given the covering letter, I had to give proof of her relationship with her parents. So uploaded wife's birth certificate and passport scans. Also uploaded wife's bank statement for 1 year and her PR Grant Notification.

2. Who are you?
- Provided identity documents for in-laws - Aadhaar Card (which is the national identity document for India) and Passport. I uploaded scans of notarized copies of both. Few forums mentioned that if color scans of original are provided, then notarization is not required, but I am not sure about this. For passport I did not provide scans of all pages, only the ones which have information - stamps, visas etc. I have heard that agents ask for copies of all pages (including blank) of the passport, but that is not required.

3. Which part of Australia will you visit?
- In the covering letter my wife mentioned that we would stay in Melbourne, however did not provide an address, as we did not have one. She mentioned that we would initially book a serviced apartment and later rent a place.

4. When will you come to Australia and how long do you intend to stay?
- My wife mentioned in her covering letter that her parents would stay for about 5 months and gave the month in which they would arrive in Australia. Did not mention exact dates as these were not finalized at the time of application.

5. Do you have enough money to support your stay and travel in Australia? 
- This was a tricky question as 'enough' is relative. However this was the most important question, as my wife would not be supporting her parents. She specifically mentioned this in the covering letter. My in-laws are more than capable of supporting themselves, however the question 'How much is considered enough?' still needed to be answered. Since we were planning to migrate, we had spent many hours calculating estimated monthly expenses in Melbourne, and had a pretty good idea about how much two people would need in a month. So multiplied that amount by the no.of months, added some extra, and we had an amount which would be 'enough'. Note that this amount should also include air ticket costs for returning back to home country. If you don't have the monthly expense estimates with you, then there are a few website which do it for you and should give you a ballpark figure (eg - https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/melbourne , Cost of Living in Australia | Expat Arrivals , https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Australia)

For my in-laws I had provided 1 - year bank statements, though I believe 6 months statement is enough. The CO would want to check that you have not borrowed and deposited money in your account just for the visa application and I think 6 months statement should be enough. Also uploaded tax-returns for the past 3 years. If you are providing term deposit receipts then ideally these should be maturing before your intended date of travel.

6. What is the guarantee that you will go back to your home country?
- In order to prove that you will go back to your country you need to show that you have 'substantial reason' to return to your country. 'Substantial reason' can be in form of close relatives (like dependent children) or substantial assets in home country. In my case we provided the sale agreement and sale deed of my in-laws house in India. This proved to be enough.

Apart from this, the fact that my in-laws have/had visas for U.S and U.K and have never overstayed in those countries must have helped a lot.

Overall I think questions 5 & 6 are the most important which you need to answer carefully. One last thing, I completed medicals for my in-laws before applying for the visa via immi account. This was because I found from other forums that visas with stay period of more than 3 months need medicals.

I hope above information is useful for others who are in similar situation.

- dkmk


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## mahesh2013 (Jan 21, 2013)

Hi, thanks very much for posting this. I am also in the similar situation currently and plan to apply for mom's 600 visa. I had the following questions - 

Within how much time was your visa processed ?
Did you also sent the scan copies of UK/US visa passport pages? Is scanned sufficient or notarized are mandatory ?
Did you find it difficult to apply for 600 visa yourself ? 

Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.


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## dkmk (Oct 9, 2016)

mahesh2013 said:


> Hi, thanks very much for posting this. I am also in the similar situation currently and plan to apply for mom's 600 visa. I had the following questions -
> 
> Within how much time was your visa processed ?
> --> It took ~1 month.
> ...


Answered questions inline.

Thanks,
dkmk


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## mahesh2013 (Jan 21, 2013)

Ok thank you. That helps, i will also give it go now


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## mahesh2013 (Jan 21, 2013)

Hi...do we also need to submit this form in the online application or it is not required ?

https://www.border.gov.au/Forms/Documents/1419.pdf

Visitor visa – Tourist stream


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## mahesh2013 (Jan 21, 2013)

Hi,

I was going through the form 1419 and had the following questions. If you can answer that it will be great help for me, thanks. 

Did you do health check up for the parents before submitting the application? What all test were conducted ? 

Did you take health insurance before submitting the application? If yes, where did you take it from ? What was the cost?

What did you give for residential address? Form mentions that "Failure to give your residential address will result in this application being invalid. A post office box address will not be accepted as your residential address."

How did you stick photograph to the form ? 

How did you answer the following questions you are PR holder? 
"Are you travelling to, or are you currently in, Australia with any family members?" ""Do you have a partner, any children, or fiancé who will NOT be travelling, or has NOT travelled, to Australia with you?"
27 ""Do you have any relatives in Australia?""
28 Do you have any friends or contacts in Australia?

Thanks in advance.


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## mahesh2013 (Jan 21, 2013)

Also in addition to the previous question ...i can see the form is PDF editable. So did you take the print out of all the pages, entered the details and scanned and again uploaded it to the site ? If not, then i can see it asks for the signature of the applicant as well. How did you manage that?

Thanks much.


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## ravi.nidadavolu (Jul 1, 2017)

In the case of the form which requires a signature, simply print that form, sign it, scan the signed copy and replace the page with the scanned one.
I had done that while applying for business visitor visa.


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## dkmk (Oct 9, 2016)

mahesh2013 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I was going through the form 1419 and had the following questions. If you can answer that it will be great help for me, thanks.
> 
> ...


Answered questions which I could inline


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## mahesh2013 (Jan 21, 2013)

Ok thanks. So that means 1419 is not required if you are submitting the application online? I was under the impression it is required !


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## dkmk (Oct 9, 2016)

mahesh2013 said:


> Ok thanks. So that means 1419 is not required if you are submitting the application online? I was under the impression it is required !


yup, there was no document category under which you could upload this. However you may need to upload it if CO asks.


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## mahesh2013 (Jan 21, 2013)

ok thanks.. i just figured out that the questions in the online application form are almost same as 1418 form so that is why this form may not be needed anymore. 
On that note i was not able to understand this question - 

Does the applicant have any members of their family unit not travelling to Australia who are not Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents?
Relatives, friends or contacts in Australia -Will the applicant visit any relatives, friends or contacts while in Australia?


What are we suppose to answer here in the first question? For the second question, as i have no yet immigrated i cannot say yes to it i suppose?


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## dkmk (Oct 9, 2016)

mahesh2013 said:


> ok thanks.. i just figured out that the questions in the online application form are almost same as 1418 form so that is why this form may not be needed anymore.
> On that note i was not able to understand this question -
> 
> Does the applicant have any members of their family unit not travelling to Australia who are not Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents?
> ...


Answers/explanation inline ....


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## mahesh2013 (Jan 21, 2013)

Thanks for this post, it helped me to apply for my mother's visitor visa and good news is that multiple entry visa was granted today fro three years. I made my application on the similar lines as you did and I have not even moved to Australia but I plan to do so as soon as I get a good opportunity. 

However the below conditions are mentioned below and I was bit confused about it the one in bolds - 

*Stay Period 12 month(s) from the date of each arrival*

Travel Facility Multiple
*Visa Conditions 8501 - MAINTAIN HEALTH INSURANCE*
*8503 - NO FURTHER STAY*
*8558 - MAXIMUM 12 MONTHS STAY IN 18 MONTHS*
8101 - NO WORK
8201 - MAXIMUM 3 MONTHS STUDY

Can you please help ? 

Thanks in advance.


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## dkmk (Oct 9, 2016)

mahesh2013 said:


> Thanks for this post, it helped me to apply for my mother's visitor visa and good news is that multiple entry visa was granted today fro three years. I made my application on the similar lines as you did and I have not even moved to Australia but I plan to do so as soon as I get a good opportunity.
> 
> However the below conditions are mentioned below and I was bit confused about it the one in bolds -
> 
> ...


Explanations inline .....


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## mahesh2013 (Jan 21, 2013)

dkmk said:


> Explanations inline .....


Thanks very much appreciate the help. For health insurance, is it sufficient to have insurance from India insurance providers like TATA AIG for the entire duration of the travel or we need to have some Australian company to cover the insurance part ?


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## dkmk (Oct 9, 2016)

mahesh2013 said:


> Thanks very much appreciate the help. For health insurance, is it sufficient to have insurance from India insurance providers like TATA AIG for the entire duration of the travel or we need to have some Australian company to cover the insurance part ?


There is no restriction on where you get your health insurance from as long as it covers requirements of DIBP. You will have to do your own study regarding which Indian insurance provider satisfies these requirements. 

I went with an Australian insurance provider (Allianz Global Visitor Plus) for two reasons - 

In the unfortunate event that I have to file a claim, it will be easier to communicate with an Australian insurance provider while in Australia.
They generally give a letter clearly mentioning that they will cover all requirements laid down by DIBP. Indian providers don't.


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## yousufkhan (Jul 11, 2016)

dkmk said:


> I figured this out on my own. Got a multiple entry visitor visa for my in-laws with 3 years validity and condition 8558 (max 12 months stay in 18 months period).
> 
> Here is how I went about applying for the Visa -
> 
> ...


-
Hi, 

That's a brilliant write-up. I am filling application for my mother subclass-600 visa and come across few questions. 

1.If I am filing application on behalf of my mother so all answers I address keep my mother as applicant like question "Does the applicant have any members of their family unit not travelling to Australia who are not Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents?" ---- So I should answer about my Non-Australian siblings Relationship as son/daughter since my mother is applicant, right?

2. Note: If the applicant intends to enter Australia more than once, select the longest period they plan to stay in Australia on a single visit
----So should I choose up to 6 months/up to 12 months based on the supported funds? Have you mentioned 6 months in your case, since you mentioned that your inlaws stay is max 12 months with multiple entries.

3. Will the applicant visit any relatives, friends or contacts while in Australia?
----So can I mention myself as I also write myself to receive written communication, does it create an issue?

4. Do I need to create separate account or can I use mine (used for Skill Immigration - 189) ? As it showing my reference number when I start filling application


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## dkmk (Oct 9, 2016)

yousufkhan said:


> -
> Hi,
> 
> That's a brilliant write-up. I am filling application for my mother subclass-600 visa and come across few questions.
> ...


Answers in-line .....


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## JK684 (Apr 2, 2015)

mahesh2013 said:


> Thanks very much appreciate the help. For health insurance, is it sufficient to have insurance from India insurance providers like TATA AIG for the entire duration of the travel or we need to have some Australian company to cover the insurance part ?


Better to buy from an Australian company. I took Health Insurance from Bupa when my relatives came here. Bupa, MediBank, AHM etc are good.


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## yousufkhan (Jul 11, 2016)

dkmk said:


> You need to answer from your mother's point of view. Family Unit consists of spouse and/or children below 18 years who are dependent on you. Do you have any siblings who fit this criteria w.r.t your mother? If yes, then you need to mention their details.


-
Actually none of my siblings fall under 18 so technically they will not be part. But what about my father who is retired but has rental income to maintain and support himself. Does he also not be part of the application as he is not dependent on my mother?

Another question come to my mind that my mother has funds more than sufficient for six months stay in Australia. However, the issue is that she cannot withdraw as they are fixed in bank account. So she can prove her Bank statement for six months but she cannot carry the money in given scenario. Does it mandatory to carry resources(money) once granted visa.


Thanks for your time in answering my query


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## dkmk (Oct 9, 2016)

yousufkhan said:


> -
> Actually none of my siblings fall under 18 so technically they will not be part. But what about my father who is retired but has rental income to maintain and support himself. Does he also not be part of the application as he is not dependent on my mother?
> 
> --> I think your father's name needs to be put in the application if he is not traveling with your mother. The 'dependency' applies more to the children in the family unit.
> ...


Comments inline ....


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## yousufkhan (Jul 11, 2016)

dkmk said:


> Comments inline ....


-

Thanks again mate. Just one last thing my mother has funds equal to AUD 9,000-9,500. I guess they consider appropriate,right? What if she carries around AUD 4,000 in cash, is it fine. Considering that my brother is already settled there since 2 years and earning good and mother can live with us and don't need to spend a penny on accommodation or utility bills etc (will mention the same in her application)


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## dkmk (Oct 9, 2016)

Yes I think 9000-9500 AUD should be fine since your brother is already settled in Australia. I had to show a lot more for my in-laws since we did not have any relatives/friends in Australia who could take care of expenses. Carrying 4000 AUD cash should be enough (although a bit risky since it is cash).

Of-course, in spite of all our calculations/estimates/efforts one must keep in mind that DIBP is it's own master and it's ways are mysterious . Best of Luck !!


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## yousufkhan (Jul 11, 2016)

dkmk said:


> Yes I think 9000-9500 AUD should be fine since your brother is already settled in Australia. I had to show a lot more for my in-laws since we did not have any relatives/friends in Australia who could take care of expenses. Carrying 4000 AUD cash should be enough (although a bit risky since it is cash).
> 
> Of-course, in spite of all our calculations/estimates/efforts one must keep in mind that DIBP is it's own master and it's ways are mysterious . Best of Luck !!


-
Thanks mate! 

She has to carry cash as there is no Forex card etc here as far as I know.


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## nityak148 (Jul 3, 2012)

mahesh2013 said:


> Thanks for this post, it helped me to apply for my mother's visitor visa and good news is that multiple entry visa was granted today fro three years. I made my application on the similar lines as you did and I have not even moved to Australia but I plan to do so as soon as I get a good opportunity.
> 
> However the below conditions are mentioned below and I was bit confused about it the one in bolds -
> 
> ...


hi Mahesh,
When did you submit application for your mother's VISA. how long did it take to get grant after medical results were uploaded for your mom? thanks


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## Abhi_ (Feb 3, 2017)

Hello All,

I want to apply for visitor visa for my Mother, couldn't found a suitable thread so started new one, also as a visitor visa she has little different circumstances than other.

Little Brief: She has 3 daughters and I am the only son, 1st - Australian Citizen & staying in SA(married), 2nd - New Zeland Citizen & staying in SA(married), 3rd - in India(married). She has travelled in 2009 from Ind to NZ, NZ to Aus, Aus to NZ and NZ to Ind, all on single entry visa(she has stamp of 2 NZ visas and 1 Aus visa).

I recently got my 489 visa and want to travel SA in Apr along with my Mother.

Kindly suggest on following queries:

1) Any format for letter of invitation from Sister in SA.
2) What duration should we request for.
3) Any particular condition to meet, if we want to get 3 year multiple entry visa for her.
4) She is widow and housewife, her entire bank statement and Fixed deposits are joint with me, can we upload them as a proof of fund or not.
5) At what stage medicals will be requested for her.
6) Which stream to apply for : Tourist or Family sponsored 

TIA


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## immigrant589 (Jun 11, 2015)

mahesh2013 said:


> Thanks for this post, it helped me to apply for my mother's visitor visa and good news is that multiple entry visa was granted today fro three years. I made my application on the similar lines as you did and I have not even moved to Australia but I plan to do so as soon as I get a good opportunity.
> 
> However the below conditions are mentioned below and I was bit confused about it the one in bolds -
> 
> ...


Hi ,

I am planning to apply for 12 month stay visa for my parents, I am living as PR with my wife and kids, for around 5 months. I have few questions regarding the application

Should I apply for Tourist Stream or Family Sponsored Stream?
Any exmples or idea how to fill this "Give details of any significant dates on which the applicant needs to be in Australia"??
How much funds will work, my father has term deposit and rental income?
Do a letter is required?? What I should write in covering letter / invitation letter to make my case strong enough for 12 month stay visitor visa??

Thanks


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## KeeDa (Sep 1, 2014)

immigrant589 said:


> Hi ,
> 
> I am planning to apply for 12 month stay visa for my parents, I am living as PR with my wife and kids, for around 5 months. I have few questions regarding the application
> 
> ...


1. Tourist. The Family Sponsored stream requires you (the sponsor) to have resided here for 104+ weeks.
2. This is optional, but if there are some events they would like to be here for, mention those- a cricket match, a rock concert, Diwali, etc.
3. OP has a good post about this on the first page of this thread.
4. Yes you need a letter stating who they are, how they are related to you, purpose of their visit, typical tourist/ visitor activities they would undertake here, and finally your declaration of supporting them: financial, shelter, medical care, etc. For 12 months- request it as such (in the online visa form as well as your letter) with convincing reasons.


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## Zorro2004 (Oct 8, 2019)

*hello*

can we talk in private please


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## immigrant589 (Jun 11, 2015)

Zorro2004 said:


> can we talk in private please



Sure, I sent you a private message


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## Zorro2004 (Oct 8, 2019)

can you please send me one in my email


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## immigrant589 (Jun 11, 2015)

Zorro2004 said:


> can you please send me one in my email


I dont have your email address ?


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## Zorro2004 (Oct 8, 2019)

I do if you want it


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## immigrant589 (Jun 11, 2015)

Zorro2004 said:


> I do if you want it




I have sent you private message on expatforum, otherwise share your email address with me and i will send an email to you


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## rahatrubaiyat123 (May 30, 2017)

Hi All,

My good wishes to all!

I am an Australian Permanent Resident and now living in Australia.

My parents are neither Aus citizen nor permanent resident. They are now living outside Australia.

Now, they are planning to apply visa to visit us and will stay for 2-3 months. Regarding this, I got a few questions and I appreciate anyone here who can clarify these:

1. Is it possible I can apply for them( my father and mother) using my own Immi Account?
2. If so, when I start filling up the online application form, applicant information will also be required. In this case, who is the applicant, My parents or me? 
3. Since I will apply both for my father and mother, should I select Group Processing in the online form?

Thank you very much.

KR
Rahat


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## Kiran_K (Jan 14, 2017)

Hi Rahat, 

I have attempted to address your questions below. Hope that helps.

1. You need to apply on paper form 40 and form 47pa.
2. Either your mother or father can be applicant. You will be the sponsor. 
3. You can enter details of both of the parents in single form. Again, contributory parent visa subclass 143 is paper application and you cannot submit the application through immi account.
There are other eligibility requirements for subclass 143, you need to check them on the official website.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Kiran_K (Jan 14, 2017)

Hi Rahat, 

My previous message is for permanent visa for parents not for subclass 600. Kindly ignore.


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## Kiran_K (Jan 14, 2017)

Hi Rahat,

Please see below for subclass 600.

1. To best of my knowledge, you can apply for your parents from your account.
2. Your parents are the applicant and you are the sponsor (assuming you are sponsoring your parents).
3. I think it would be more appropriate to apply for group processing.
In addition, go through form 956:
Exempt persons
“The following people do not have to be a registered migration agent or legal practitioner in order to provide immigration assistance: • a close family member (spouse, child, adopted child, parent, brother or sister of a visa applicant).”


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## Himadri (Jun 12, 2017)

rahatrubaiyat123 said:


> Hi All,
> 
> My good wishes to all!
> 
> ...


1. Yes- you can use your immiaccount to apply 

2. Applicant name will be the person who is applying for and the visa will be granted to the person. In this case it will be you Father and Mother

3. Yes- it will ensure that Visa dates are same and comes together 

Hope this helps.

Cheers


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