Travelling is so much fun. Preparing for it isn't that fun although it's good you had to experience those things. And I couldn't say how fun it is to go after your employer asking for that piece of paper they called certificate of employment which they can edit the name in the template and print in a whim and still took them days to give it to you. Of course, after numbers of follow up emails. Habiga got his day after he asks his employer. Mine took 4 days.
Now that we already have two items off the list, we still need to photocopy a lot of things. Good thing we have our good ol' reliable printer/scanner/photocopying machine. It has been a great help to us since day 1 of preparing things for our wedding :)
Anyway, I've listed below the things needed so you won't get lost in knowing the requirements for getting the "Australian Visa (tourist)". Set for the travel date and scout for the cheapest ticket first. You can get an idea on the ticket price on my post Ticket Hunting.
1. Visa Application Form (48R) - can be downloaded at australian embassy site. pm me if you want a copy :)
2. Certificate of Employment - File your leave and ask your employer to provide you your certificate of employment. It should state the date of your employment, your salary, and your approved date leave. This shouldn't be a problem to the employers as they have a template for this. Photocopy the original.
3. Travel Itinerary - Compare the price quotations you got from different travel agencies. Don't forget to scout in the internet too. (But having it book on your own may cause you problems as you cannot buy your ticket yet unless you have your visa granted. And you can't get your visa unless you provide a copy of your itinerary. So I think for those holding a Philippine passport, better do it with a travel agency.) Once settled on the cheapest package, book the flight with the hotel and ask for a printout of your itinerary. Please remember that this should not be confirmed yet. A deposit of certain amount will be asked but don't pay for the whole package yet. Photocopy the original.
4. Passport and EP or NRIC - photocopy each
5. Passport Picture - to affix in the visa application form
6. Proof of Funds - print out a proof of funds (dbs / uob account)
7. Payslip - Photocopy latest 3 months of payslip
