Australia Visitor Visa (600) from India (2026): Streams, Fees & VFS Centres

India is one of Australia’s largest source markets for family and tourist travel, driven heavily by parents and relatives visiting students and skilled migrants already living there. This page covers what’s specific to applying from India; the mechanics shared by every Subclass 600 applicant are in our Australia Visitor visa 600 guide.

Choosing the right stream

Subclass 600 has several streams, but two cover almost every Indian applicant:

• Tourist stream — for holidays, sightseeing, or visiting friends/family informally, without a formal sponsorship arrangement.
• Sponsored Family stream — for applicants with a close relative who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen willing to formally sponsor the visit, including an Assurance of Support where required.

The Sponsored Family stream generally carries a higher fee than the base Tourist stream and requires a sponsorship form and supporting evidence from the Australia-based relative, but can be the more credible option when the core purpose of the trip is a family visit — a formal sponsor relationship is itself evidence of genuine ties and travel purpose. Check the Department of Home Affairs’ own Subclass 600 page for the current fee split and stream-specific document list, since both are reviewed periodically (Department of Home Affairs — Visitor visa (subclass 600); this page could not be fetched directly while writing this guide — confirm the current detail there before applying).

Where you apply and give biometrics

Applications are lodged online through ImmiAccount; biometrics for Indian applicants are collected at VFS Global Australian Visa Application Centres, with a network of centres across India historically including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Ahmedabad. VFS’s own India site lists the current centre network and appointment system for your city — confirm directly rather than relying on an older address, and remember biometrics collection is a step in the process, not a guarantee of approval.

Fees, and paying in INR

Visa fees are set in AUD and charged to Indian applicants in INR at the prevailing conversion rate. Our Australia visa fees guide has the current AUD figures for the Tourist and Sponsored Family streams; budget for exchange-rate movement between the day you check the fee and the day you pay, and note that the Sponsored Family stream’s extra sponsorship requirements don’t reduce the fee.

Processing time: plan around peak season

Processing times for Indian applicants vary with volume, and the Department’s own guidance is the only reliable live figure — check the Home Affairs global visa processing times page for the current Subclass 600 range. In practice, applicants commonly report longer waits around India’s traditional peak travel season (roughly October to February, coinciding with festivals and school holidays), so building in extra weeks of margin before a planned trip date in that window is the sensible default rather than assuming the fastest published figure will apply.

Evidence that actually matters for this corridor

• For Tourist stream: funds evidence (bank statements, income/ITR documents), a plausible itinerary, and clear ties to India — employment, property, family — that support a temporary visit.
• For Sponsored Family stream: the Australia-based sponsor’s own evidence (status, income if an Assurance of Support applies, relationship proof) matters as much as the applicant’s own documents — a weak or inconsistent sponsorship file undermines an otherwise strong application.
• Relationship evidence (for either stream, when visiting family) should be consistent across both the applicant’s and sponsor’s paperwork — mismatched names, dates, or relationship descriptions are a common and avoidable source of delay.

Our proof of funds guide covers the general funds-evidence principles that carry over here even though it’s framed around students.

Preparation checklist

1. Decide between the Tourist and Sponsored Family streams based on your actual travel purpose and relationships.
2. Confirm the current fee for your chosen stream directly on the Department of Home Affairs site.
3. Book biometrics through VFS Global’s India site for your nearest centre.
4. If applying in the Sponsored Family stream, coordinate documents with your Australia-based sponsor before lodging.
5. Apply with margin before peak season (October–February) if your travel dates fall in that window.

This is general preparation guidance, not migration advice; a registered migration agent can assess your specific circumstances. VisaMet is building AI-assisted document checks to catch sponsor/applicant inconsistencies before lodgement; join the waitlist.

Sources: Department of Home Affairs — Visitor visa (subclass 600) (could not be fetched directly; confirm current fee/stream detail there), Department of Home Affairs — Global visa processing times, VFS Global — India (confirm current centre list directly).