The Department of Home Affairs is responsible for processing visa applications, waiving visa conditions and canceling and reinstating canceled visas.

While onshore applications are processed by the Department of Home Affairs, certain offshore applications are processed at the Australian embassies, high commissions or consulates, multilateral missions or representative offices in the countries where the visa applicants are present at the time of application for their visa processing.

The majority of Australian visa applications are lodged online via ImmiAccount, the Australian immigration department's web-based electronic lodgment system.

The visa type or stream may determine whether a visa applicant must be in or outside Australia at the time of lodgment or decision of their visa application.

The immigration department publishes indicative visa processing times each month on its website.

The Australian government's biometrics collection program requires that certain visa applicants provide their biometrics at an Australian Visa Application Centre or an Australian Biometrics Collection Centre if they are present in selected countries, irrespective of their nationality.

Australia does not offer visa-free entry or visa waiver to any country.

All non-Australian citizens and non-Australian permanent residents must obtain an appropriate visa to travel to Australia, except for New Zealand passport holders, who are automatically granted a Special Category visa (Subclass 444) on arrival in Australia, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Travel Card (ABTC) holders, who are traveling to Australia for short-term business activities approved by the Australian government.

It is important that non-Australian citizens and non-Australian permanent residents hold an appropriate visa for the intended purpose of their stay in Australia.

Employers must comply with Australian immigration and employment laws when they engage noncitizens and non-permanent residents for work, and work is defined as any activity that ordinarily attracts remuneration in Australia.

The Fair Work Commission and the Fair Work Ombudsman are the two independent government agencies that regulate and enforce the national workplace relations system.

The Fair Work Commission is Australia's workplace relations tribunal that exercises a range of functions and powers relating to workplace relations and acts as an independent moderator in resolving workplace related issues between employers and employees.

The Fair Work Ombudsman enforces compliance with Australia's workplace laws and seeks penalties for breaches of workplace laws.

The Australian Border Force is an independent agency that is an operational enforcement arm of the immigration department and is responsible for enforcing offshore and onshore border control, investigations and monitoring immigration compliance activities of business sponsors.