Australian visa application in the Philippines isn’t a walk in the park compared to visa applications for other countries. A stable nine-to-five job and a fat bank account won’t automatically get you a pass to the Land Down Under—what more if you’re a full time freelancer with hardly any documents to prove that you can actually afford to buy a ticket and travel for several days across the vast Australian soil.

Case in point, a friend of mine with a booming business, complete papers, and loads of moolah on his bank accounts, note the s on the account, was actually denied a visa for Australia. Why? Well, they actually tell you the reason why they reject your application for an Australian visa, but he just won’t disclose to us why. In any case, it just proves that applying for a visa DIY-style isn’t really a hundred percent sure that you’d get in. Heck, even Nas of the extremely popular Nas Daily vlog was denied a visa!

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Australia isn’t really on my list when it comes to countries to visit. It’s not that it doesn’t spark the wanderlust in me, what with the iconic Sydney Opera House—something I’ve only dreamt of seeing in person ever since taking up Architecture years back—or even Ayers Rock and the Great Barrier Reef. The list of things to see and do in that massive country cum continent are endless. My hesitation to visit Australia is their visa requirement for the Philippines. It’s something I’m not sure I would pass.

SNORKELING AT THE GREAT BARRIER REEF ~ PHOTO BY QUEENSLAND AT WTS WIKIVOYAGE

Being a full time blogger and photographer, I don’t have the usual list of essentials required by most countries for a tourist visa. First off, I don’t have an employer to establish that I am actually employed. I don’t have a ITR (income tax return), since most of my earnings are remitted from overseas.

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