Australian Immigration creates video to advise visa overstayers

Australian Immigration has released a new video online in 14 languages that advises Australian visa overstayers on how to resolve their immigration status.

The new video, created by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship contains necessary information for those that are unsure of how to resolve their situation.

"People who have overstayed their visas can be unaware of what to do or even where they can go to find out," a departmental spokesman said. "They often rely on information from family, friends or the general community, which can be misleading or not relevant to them."

According to the departmental spokesman, visa overstayers can be granted a short-term Bridging Visa so the individual has time to make the proper arrangements to leave Australia, or, if they are eligible, to apply for another Australian visa.

"Resolving someone's visa status proactively not only saves the person a lot of angst, but benefits our compliance teams who can concentrate on illegal workers and employers or contractors willfully flouting the Migration Act," the spokesman added.

Visa over stayers should probably research their situation on their own before seeking advice from an immigration officer as there is the possibility of being detained or immediately deported from the country if you don't have a valid visa. Also, if you have overstayed your visa and are deported you may not be allowed to return to the country or access an Australian for several years depending on your situation.

Global Visa Support offers a variety of programs in Australia. Please check our Australian page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/australia.html