Training manual · Australia · Visitor & Working Holiday

Transit visa (subclass 771)

People transiting through Australia for up to 72 hours, or transit crew.

Temporary (72 hours)Visitor & Working HolidayOffshore

Overview Process flow Eligibility checklist Document checklist Cost checklist Qualification checklist Eligible cases Refusal cases Self-exam

1. Overview

Know these facts cold before the first client conversation - they are also what the exam below tests. No - transit only.

Visa typeTemporary (72 hours)

LodgementOffshore

StayUp to 72 hours

Work rightsNo (except eligible crew)

Study rightsNo

Government chargeFree

Processing time~days

2. Process flow

The handling sequence for a 771 file, from first consultation to decision. Each step assumes the one before it is genuinely finished - not "mostly done".

Confirm the transit window
72 hours maximum, with a confirmed onward booking. Longer layovers need a visitor visa.
Lodge with the onward evidence
Free and usually quick.

3. Eligibility checklist

Every box must be confirmable with evidence, not the client's say-so, before you advise that the 771 is viable.

Transiting through Australia to another country within 72 hoursA confirmed onward bookingHealth and character requirements

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4. Document checklist

The lodgement pack. Aim for decision-ready: a case officer should be able to grant without asking for anything further.

Valid passport biodata page for every applicant - check expiry against expected processing timeCertified identity documents: birth certificate, national ID, any change-of-name evidencePolice certificates for every country the client lived in for 12+ months in the last 10 years (since turning 16)Health examinations with an approved panel physician when requested (record the HAP ID)Form 956 appointing you as the registered agent, signed before you deal with the DepartmentConfirmed onward booking departing within 72 hours

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5. Cost checklist

Quote the full stack, in writing, before the client signs. Surprise costs are the fastest way to lose a client's trust (and earn a complaint).

Item	Indicative amount
Base visa application charge (2025-26, indicative)	Free
Health examinations (only if requested)	~$300-500
Biometrics collection (some countries)	Small fee at the collection centre
Your professional fee	Per your agency's schedule - quote in writing before Form 956
Rule of thumb	Government charges usually change every 1 July - re-quote any file that lodges after 30 June

6. Qualification checklist

Run this in the first consultation, before taking a retainer. It screens the client, not the visa: history, hard stops and honesty come first.

Full visa history for every applicant: refusals, cancellations and overstays anywhere in the world - undisclosed history is a PIC 4020 problem that surfaces at the worst timeIf onshore: what visa they hold now, its expiry, any 8503/8534 'no further stay' condition, and any section 48 bar from a refusalHealth: significant medical conditions in the family unit (for permanent visas the health requirement can apply to non-migrating dependants too)Character: criminal history anywhere, ever - a substantial criminal record is a hard stopIdentity: names and dates consistent across every document the client holdsMoney: the client understands the full cost stack and your fee before signing anythingConfirm: Transiting through Australia to another country within 72 hoursConfirm: A confirmed onward bookingConfirm: Health and character requirements

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7. Case studies - eligible cases

Illustrative composites showing what a grantable 771 file looks like in practice.

Grant: Priya from Thailand

Background: Priya, a farm-work backpacker from Thailand. People transiting through Australia for up to 72 hours, or transit crew.
Why it qualified: (1) Transiting through Australia to another country within 72 hours. (2) A confirmed onward booking. (3) Health and character requirements.
What made the file strong: The file opened with a short submission mapping each criterion to its evidence, so the case officer never had to hunt.
Outcome: Granted within the indicative processing window (~days).

Grant: Rahul from the Philippines

Background: Rahul, a retired engineer from the Philippines. People transiting through Australia for up to 72 hours, or transit crew.
Why it qualified: (1) Transiting through Australia to another country within 72 hours. (2) A confirmed onward booking. (3) Health and character requirements.
What made the file strong: The agent tested the weakest criterion first and fixed it before lodging, not after a natural-justice letter.
Outcome: Granted within the indicative processing window (~days).

8. Case studies - refusal cases

The same visa, handled badly. Every one of these failure modes is screenable at the first consultation.

Refusal: Isabella from Turkey

Background: Isabella, a university student on a semester break from Turkey, engaged an agent late and pushed for a fast lodgement of the 771.
What went wrong: Needing more than 72 hours (use a visitor visa instead)
Outcome: The Department refused; the client lost the application charge, months of lead time, and in this subclass a refusal also complicates any onshore follow-up.
Lesson for the agent: Screen for this at the first consultation, before money changes hands. It is cheaper to delay a lodgement than to fight a refusal.

Refusal: Wei from Nepal

Background: Wei, a marketing professional from Nepal, engaged an agent late and pushed for a fast lodgement of the 771.
What went wrong: Missing onward-travel evidence
Outcome: The case officer decided on the papers without a further request - the file had to stand on its own, and it could not.
Lesson for the agent: Put this issue on the document checklist on day one and refuse to lodge until it is closed out.

9. Self-exam

9 questions drawn from this manual. Pass mark 80%. Answers are graded on the server and your result is recorded against your agent profile - retakes are unlimited and your best score is kept. Log in to the agent portal first so your result is saved to My trainings.

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