Australia to issues renewed Business Visa Cards

There is great news for all those who travel frequently to Australia on business. The business visa card can help you avail greater benefits from now on. The Australian minister declared that, the business visa card which was earlier valid only for a minimum period of three years, will now allow you to stay for as many as five years.

What you should look forward to

The benefit of acquiring the Australian business card, is not limited to the extension of stay alone. There are many other benefits that you will be entitled to, once you acquire APEC Business Travel Card. To start with, you will have an opportunity to make multiple entries into the country, if you are from participating member economies.

Its birth and the gradual progress

The ABTC was first launched in the year 1997, which saw a gradual but positive growth until the recent years. The increase in the number of ABTC users by 15 percent is an evidence of the above statement. The increase was observed towards the end of June this year. The number of people making use of the ABTC is currently more than 190,300.

The idea was the outcome of the meeting of  the APEC Business Mobility Group and Philippines in the first month of the year 2015. In the meeting it was decided that they will be part of the 21 APEC member economies. The five year extension can be availed by applicants from the 1^st of September.  Now, the frequency of applying for this business card has also greatly reduced.

Countless Advantages

In addition to this, the business travelers will also experience a significant reduction in travel expenses. Along with this, the business card will bring down the cost of the application and the time in processing the same. If you have applied on the 1^st  of September this year, your business card will be valid for a period of five years.

However, this is not the case if an application was made on or before the 31^st of August this year. In that case an ABTC will be granted for not more than three years.