Need advise - Australian Tourist Visa for Children attending a Sporting Camp

[Makyai]

Hi,

I have searched the forum in hopes that there might have been someone who has had experience with this. I am an English and ITF Taekwon-Do teacher in Central Thailand, but not Bangkok. We have a small but good little school that has grown steadily since I moved back from Australia. (I am a Thai national and Australian Citizen) We are in the process of applying for tourist Visa for a group of 15 students and parents to travel to Australia in April 2014 for 7 days.

We provided the group with a payment plan to try to help them with finances and to ensure that all is paid for before the trip. This was also to help with the visa application.... so we thought.

Staff at the Australian Embassy is now saying that they don't care that the trip is prepaid, they want to see parents bank statements of the children travelling. Problem we have now with the visa application is that a lot of these children's parents are rice farmers and they mainly deal in cash.

I have collected the money from the families and issued them a receipt for it and have informed the embassy that I can provide this to them. Their response is that they want bank statements..... period.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

[David48]

Mate, just so you know ... we're not ignoring you, just that I, for one, have no experience with your unique problem.

We see what you are trying to achieve and wish you the best of luck with that.

Sorry that I can't be of assistance.

.

[GrantSmith]

Might it be possible to visit a bank with the parents and open bank accounts with them? Deposit the cash into the account, print out a copy of a bank statement or passbook and submit this with the visa application.

[krisb]

Logistically speaking I would have used a visa agent from day dot.

I won't go on to tell you how you shouldn't have assumed it would be that easy.

You didn't buy all the plane tickets did you?

Good luck mate!

Edited December 17, 2013 by krisb

[Ginkas]

I suspect the main problem is that the parents are going on this trip.

If it was just the children it may have been easier to get the visas.

The parents are, obviously, not children taking part in the camp nor are they trainers at the camp.

Therefore, they are 'ordinary' tourists having to meet the normal requirements that any tourist would.