Australian visa applicants to go 'Passport Free'

(ECNS) -- All applications lodged in person at the Beijing Australian Visa Application Center (AVAC) will be processed "Passport Free" from next month, according to the website of Australian Embassy in China.

This means that passports will no longer be forwarded to the Australian Consulate/Embassy with the application. Color photocopies of the passport bio-data page, back page and all pages containing a visa, stamp or signature will be forwarded in place of the original.

Apart from that, other documentary requirements remain the same.