Australia is continuing to expand its mobile app designed to simplify part of the visa process. The Australian Department of Home Affairs says the Australian Immi App is now available in 47 countries, following the addition of 13 new countries since March 24, 2026.
The app allows certain visa applicants to submit their passport information and a live facial image from their smartphone. It is intended only for people who have been invited by the authorities to provide their personal identifiers as part of a visa application.
The system therefore does not apply to all travelers and does not replace Australian biometric collection centers in every case. This latest expansion does, however, confirm Australia’s intention to make part of the process more accessible remotely.
The new countries covered since March 24 are Albania, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Nepal, Somalia (for third-country nationals), Sri Lanka, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
This new step comes a few months after a previous expansion. In November 2025, the Australian Immi App was made available in 19 additional countries, including France, Algeria, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Greece, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru and Türkiye.
Australian Immi App reserved for certain visa applicants
The Australian Immi App is currently available in the following 47 countries and territories:
- Albania, Algeria, Bahrain, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Colombia, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand (third-country nationals), Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia (third-country nationals), South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, Türkiye, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, and Zimbabwe.
The Australian Immi App is not a general visa application app. It is used as part of an application that has already been started, when the applicant receives a letter asking them to provide personal identifiers, meaning biometric information.
To use the app, applicants must have a “Requirement to provide personal identifiers” letter with a Visa Lodgement Number, or VLN, beginning with AUI. They must also have a valid passport. If the VLN does not begin with AUI, Australian authorities say the applicant must continue to attend an Australian Biometrics Collection Centre, or ABCC, to provide their personal identifiers.
The app allows users to scan the identity page of their passport, read the electronic chip when the document has one, and then take a photo of themselves. The Department of Home Affairs says the app then transmits the passport details and facial images to the department, without retaining the data after it has been sent. Once the process is completed, ImmiAccount should be updated within 24 hours.
No change for eVisitor and ETA travelers
The expansion of the Australian Immi App does not mean the end of Australia’s biometric collection centers. Its main purpose is to allow certain visa applicants, in countries covered by the system, to avoid traveling to a collection center when their profile is compatible with use of the app.
Applicants who do not meet the conditions will still be directed to an ABCC. This is notably the case when the letter they receive does not include a VLN beginning with AUI, or when the authorities require a different procedure. The department also states that it may contact the applicant after submission if additional information is needed.
This expansion therefore does not change the formalities for travelers eligible for Australia’s eVisitor or ETA.
The eVisitor, or subclass 651, remains intended for certain European nationals and allows short-term tourism or business stays in Australia, among other purposes. The Electronic Travel Authority, or ETA subclass 601, applies to other eligible nationalities and is obtained through Australia’s dedicated ETA app.
Travelers applying for an eVisitor or an ETA therefore do not need to use this biometric collection app, except in a specific situation indicated by the Australian authorities as part of another visa application.
