{"id":"F2025L00364","name":"Migration (Class of Persons for Nil VAC for Subclass 600 (Visitor) Visa Applications—Pacific Australia Card Holders) Specification 2025","slug":"migration-class-of-persons-for-nil-vac-for-subclass-600-visitor-visa-applications-pacific-australia-","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":442783,"registerId":"F2025L00364-fast-fetch-1775957722918","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Migration (Class of Persons for Nil VAC for Subclass 600 (Visitor) Visa Applications—Pacific Australia Card Holders) Specification 2025","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nLIN 25/007\n\n \n\nMigration (Class of Persons for Nil VAC for Subclass 600 (Visitor) Visa Applications—Pacific Australia Card Holders) Specification 2025\n\nI, Tony Burke, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, make the following instrument.\n\nDated  13 March 2025\n\nTony Burke\n\nMinister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs\n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1  Name\n\n2  Commencement\n\n3  Authority\n\n4  Definitions\n\n5  Class of persons for nil VAC—Subclass 600 (Visitor) visa\n\n \n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Migration (Class of Persons for Nil VAC for Subclass 600 (Visitor) Visa Applications—Pacific Australia Card Holders) Specification 2025.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n  This instrument commences on 22 March 2025.\n\n3  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under subparagraph 1236(2)(a)(iv) of Schedule 1 to the Migration Regulations 1994.\n\n4  Definitions\n\nNote: The expression visa application charge used in this instrument is defined in section 5 of the Migration Act 1958.\n\n  In this instrument:\n\nMigration Regulations means the Migration Regulations 1994.\n\nPacific Australia Card means a card by that name issued to a person by the Government of Australia.\n\nVAC means visa application charge.\n\n5  Class of persons for nil VAC—Subclass 600 (Visitor) visa\n\n  For subparagraph 1236(2)(a)(iv) of Schedule 1 to the Migration Regulations, a person (the applicant) is specified to be in a class of persons if:\n\n (a) the person holds a valid Pacific Australia Card; and\n\n (b) the person seeks to satisfy the primary criteria for the grant of a Subclass 600 (Visitor) visa:\n\n (i) in the Tourist stream as set out in Subdivision 600.22 of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations; or\n\n (ii) in the Business Visitor stream as set out in Subdivision 600.24 of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations; and\n\n (c) the person is outside Australia at the time of application.\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument remains tightly scoped to its original purpose: specifying a class of persons for nil visa application charge for Pacific Australia Card holders applying for Subclass 600 visitor visas. There is no evidence of scope creep; the instrument does exactly what its title suggests and contains no extraneous provisions."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short instrument: only 5 operative sections","Minimal defined terms: only 3 definitions (Migration Regulations, Pacific Australia Card, VAC)","Single operative provision (section 5) with straightforward cumulative conditions (a), (b), and (c)","No cross-references beyond standard references to the Migration Regulations 1994 and Migration Act 1958","No exceptions, exemptions, or nested conditional logic","Clear linear structure: name, commencement, authority, definitions, operative provision"],"plain_english_summary":"This law waives the visa application charge for people who hold a Pacific Australia Card when they apply from outside Australia for a Subclass 600 visitor visa (tourist or business visitor streams). \n\nBy removing that fee, it lowers the cost and administrative barrier for eligible Pacific Island citizens to visit Australia short-term, supporting closer people-to-people and business ties."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"This instrument adds a new specified class eligible for a nil VAC: Pacific Australia Card holders applying from outside Australia for Subclass 600 Visitor visas in the Tourist or Business Visitor streams. It does not alter the substantive primary criteria for grant of the Subclass 600 visa (those remain in Subdivisions 600.22 and 600.24) but changes who is charged the VAC by creating an exemption for this defined group."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-reference to other instruments: relies on subparagraph 1236(2)(a)(iv) of Schedule 1 to the Migration Regulations 1994 and on the substantive visa streams set out in Subdivisions 600.22 and 600.24.","Narrow, conjunctive eligibility criteria: must hold a valid Pacific Australia Card, be outside Australia at time of application, and be applying in the Tourist or Business Visitor stream.","Dependence on external definitions: the term 'visa application charge' is defined in section 5 of the Migration Act 1958 and 'Pacific Australia Card' is a separately issued document.","Administrative verification burden: the Department must validate Pacific Australia Card status and applicants' location at time of application.","Fiscal effect is straightforward but real: the Commonwealth forgoes VAC receipts for specified applicants (a budgetary impact rather than a regulatory compliance cost).","Ministerial specification mechanism: the change is implemented by a Ministerial instrument under existing regulation-making power rather than by amending primary visa criteria."],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument makes holders of a Pacific Australia Card exempt from the visa application charge (VAC) when they apply from outside Australia for a Subclass 600 Visitor visa in the Tourist or Business Visitor streams. It commences 22 March 2025 and operates by specifying that those applicants are in a class eligible for a nil VAC under the Migration Regulations. The Commonwealth therefore forgoes the VAC; applicants must hold a valid Pacific Australia Card and be outside Australia when applying."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/migration-class-of-persons-for-nil-vac-for-subclass-600-visitor-visa-applications-pacific-australia-","history":"/api/acts/migration-class-of-persons-for-nil-vac-for-subclass-600-visitor-visa-applications-pacific-australia-/history","analysis":"/api/acts/migration-class-of-persons-for-nil-vac-for-subclass-600-visitor-visa-applications-pacific-australia-/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/migration-class-of-persons-for-nil-vac-for-subclass-600-visitor-visa-applications-pacific-australia-/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/migration-class-of-persons-for-nil-vac-for-subclass-600-visitor-visa-applications-pacific-australia-/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/migration-class-of-persons-for-nil-vac-for-subclass-600-visitor-visa-applications-pacific-australia-/documents"}}