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Australian visa outcomes for citizens from Hong Kong

How does the Department of Home Affairs treat visa applications from Hong Kong? See real processing times, approval rates, and what your citizenship means for your application.

Your country score

71

/ 100
Lower risk
Compared against 173 countriesHow is this calculated?
How fast are applications processed?About average speedRanked #85 of 173 countries
What are the approval odds?99% of applications are approvedGlobal average: 92%More likely to be approved than average
How many people from Hong Kong apply?
Ranked #47 of 173 countries (73th percentile)

What this means for you

Applications from your country take about the same time as most other nationalities.
Approval rates for your country are higher than most.
Even though your country risk is low, mistakes can still cause delays or refusals. Getting it right the first time saves you stress and waiting.

Which visa do Hong Kong passport holders need?

Visiting AustraliaHong Kong passport holders use the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA, subclass 601), applied for through the Australian ETA app. Tern doesn't currently process this visa type.
Government charge: AUD $20.
Working holidayHong Kong passport holders qualify for the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417), open to applicants aged 18 to 30. There's no annual cap for 417 countries, so you can apply any time of year.
Government charge: from AUD $840. Tern prepares and submits it for AUD $140.
Looking for a partner, student, or skilled visa instead? See all Australian visas
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How your citizenship affects Australian visa outcomes

Why your nationality matters

The Department of Home Affairs doesn't treat all applications equally. Your country of citizenship affects both how long you'll wait and how likely you are to be approved. This isn't random. It reflects historical compliance rates, the volume of applications from each country, and how complex it is to verify documents and claims.

Understanding the country score

The country score ranks your citizenship against all other nationalities based on two factors: processing speed and approval rates. Approval rates are weighted more heavily because that's ultimately what matters most. Scores range from 0-100, with higher scores meaning faster processing and better approval odds compared to other countries.

Where this data comes from

Our reports are based exclusively on official government data obtained through Freedom of Information requests to the Australian Department of Home Affairs: visa refusal rates (FOI Reference DA24/02/00115) and processing times (FOI Reference DA25/10/00449). We calibrate this data monthly against the Department's published processing times to keep it current.

What this means for Hong Kong citizens

With a country score of 71, applicants from Hong Kong generally experience favourable treatment from the Department. Processing times are about the same than average compared to other countries applying for the same visa types. The approval rate for Hong Kong is 99%, which is 7% higher than the global average.

Compare other countries

Curious how other nationalities are treated? Use our Country Risk tool to explore visa outcomes for any country.

Want to understand this better?

For a deep dive into how country risk works, what the Department considers, and how nationality affects your visa journey, read our comprehensive guide to country risk.