Travel to AU Questions

[OnMyWay]

3 hours ago, BrettGC said:

There's various whale watching boat tours as well but I'm not sure of the time of year, just ask at your motel tour desk.  

I would have like to do whale watching but it looks like December is not the season.  We are planning on using the free river ferries so the kids will like that.  We might take the ferry that goes to Lone Pine.  We definitely will go to Lone Pine.

We are planning one or two zoo visits, but not sure which ones yet.  I will have to see if we could go to the Australia Zoo on a bus or something.

[OnMyWay]

On 9/30/2022 at 6:49 PM, Colsie said:

Biometrics, I read that it was a CF and to get the earliest appointment. I chose 7am and the girl was finished within 30mins.

My wife and stepdaughter did the biometrics in Makati today.  They took the bus and that worked out fine.  Arrived at VFS at 2:30 for the 3:30 appointment.  The external guards will not let people into the building until the appointment time.  That was not pleasant because there is no place to wait, it is hot, and the guards will not even let anyone sit on steps, etc.  Once inside, they give you a number.  They didn't get out until almost 5.

Fingers crossed for quick approvals!

[OzeMike]

11 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

My wife and stepdaughter did the biometrics in Makati today.  They took the bus and that worked out fine.  Arrived at VFS at 2:30 for the 3:30 appointment.  The external guards will not let people into the building until the appointment time.  That was not pleasant because there is no place to wait, it is hot, and the guards will not even let anyone sit on steps, etc.  Once inside, they give you a number.  They didn't get out until almost 5.

Fingers crossed for quick approvals!

Sorry to hear about your wife's experience at VFS Manila. My wife had quite the opposite experience at VFS Cebu City last week...booked for 8am she arrived 7am and waited inside...and was out by 8.45

[OnMyWay]

23 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

I would have like to do whale watching but it looks like December is not the season.  We are planning on using the free river ferries so the kids will like that.  We might take the ferry that goes to Lone Pine.  We definitely will go to Lone Pine.

We are planning one or two zoo visits, but not sure which ones yet.  I will have to see if we could go to the Australia Zoo on a bus or something.

I swear, we are being watched by everything tech!  I got an e-mail from Trip Advisor about whale watching.  Seems that Wester AU is where they are now.

[OnMyWay]

11 minutes ago, OzeMike said:

Sorry to hear about your wife's experience at VFS Manila. My wife had quite the opposite experience at VFS Cebu City last week...booked for 8am she arrived 7am and waited inside...and was out by 8.45

It was not that bad, all things considered.  My wife and stepdaughter said the young man doing the fingerprints was very cute!  

Our next big trip in a year or two might be Dubai, and it looks like VFS handles UAE as well as many other countries.

[Dave Hounddriver]

1 hour ago, OzeMike said:

My wife had quite the opposite experience at VFS Cebu City last week.

Are you taking your wife to Australia,  OnceBitten . . . er I mean OzeMike?

[Gas]

5 hours ago, OzeMike said:

Sorry to hear about your wife's experience at VFS Manila. My wife had quite the opposite experience at VFS Cebu City last week...booked for 8am she arrived 7am and waited inside...and was out by 8.45

Hopefully things have speeded up since my wife applied in Febuary. 

When will you do yours? As far as i can see all nationalities living in the Philippines now need to do the biometrics. Hopefully i am reading it wrong! 

Home (embassy.gov.au)

What happens at the Visa Application Centre | vfsglobal

[OnMyWay]

33 minutes ago, Gas said:

Hopefully things have speeded up since my wife applied in Febuary. 

When will you do yours? As far as i can see all nationalities living in the Philippines now need to do the biometrics. Hopefully i am reading it wrong! 

Home (embassy.gov.au)

What happens at the Visa Application Centre | vfsglobal

There is some confusing wording and I had already checked that.  That says ALL Nationalities applying for a visa require the biometrics.  My two young daughters and I are travelling on U.S. passports and don't need a visa if staying less than 3 months.  We need the ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) which is done on their phone app, and is free.

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/electronic-travel-authority-601#HowTo

[BrettGC]

44 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

There is some confusing wording and I had already checked that.  That says ALL Nationalities applying for a visa require the biometrics.  My two young daughters and I are travelling on U.S. passports and don't need a visa if staying less than 3 months.  We need the ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) which is done on their phone app, and is free.

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/electronic-travel-authority-601#HowTo

Was going to mention that but you have it covered 😉

[hk blues]

6 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

I swear, we are being watched by everything tech!  I got an e-mail from Trip Advisor about whale watching.  Seems that Wester AU is where they are now.

Of course.

Which is why I have long since given up on having any kind of privacy online and really cannot get even mildly irritated now at how much personal data we need to provide at every turn. 

No point fighting it!