MEDIA RELEASE
4 June 2008
For immediate release
WORLD YOUTH DAY NEARS
Anyone still considering applying for a visa to attend World Youth Day in Australia should submit their application immediately, according to a spokesman for the Australian High Commission. The deadline for applications, 1 June, has now passed, and Australia's Department of Immigration and Citizenship can no longer guarantee that applications will be finalised in time for World Youth Day.
“Although we will do our best to finalise late applications in time, it would be disappointing for pilgrims to miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity because they left their visa application too late. We strongly urge anyone still planning to travel to Australia for the event to submit their visa application right away,” the spokesman said.
Australia's Department of Immigration and Citizenship has now issued more than 30,000 visas to World Youth Day participants from around the world.
The number of visas issued for pilgrims has tripled in the past six weeks.
The department also has 5600 applications under assessment and organisers are expecting about 4000 pilgrims from New Zealand who do not normally need to apply for a visa before they travel.
“To put this in perspective, World Youth Day now rivals the 2006 Commonwealth Games in terms of international visitors and the applications continue to flow in,” the spokesman said.
More details on how to apply for a visa are available through the World Youth Day registration system or on the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website: www.immi.gov.au
Media Inquiries: Francina Thomson, Public Diplomacy Officer, T: 325 9333 ext 276