APEC Card Cuts Though Red Tape of Business Travel

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) December 1, 2011 -- Chris Bowen MP, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, just announced recently that Australia’s APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) eligibility criteria were updated. The new move was done in order to make certain that more Australian businesspeople will be supported in their trade and investment activities in the Asia-Pacific region.
The APEC Business Travel Card was developed in response to the need for business people to gain streamlined entry to other economies. It contributes to APEC's goal of free and open trade within the Asia-Pacific region.

The APEC Card will allow its holder multiple short-term visits to the 18 fully participating APEC economies over a three year period with its visa pre-clearance provision, saving business people the time and effort involved in applying for individual visas or entry permits each time they wish to travel for business. Likewise, the card also provides cardholders with access to fast track immigration processing lanes at major airports in participating economies. This means that overseas business people having APEC cards will have fast-track immigration and visas to Australia processing in any Australian airport as they are pre-cleared for their visas for Australia and vice versa.
About the size of a credit card, the APEC Business Travel Card is valid for 3 years and provides the holder with a two or three month stay in an APEC economy that is a full member of the scheme.
To qualify for the usage of the APEC Business Travel Card, applicants must be actively involved in business for which their frequent visits in the countries are accounted for.

So overseas business people who are APEC CARD holders will not need to repeatedly apply visa to Australia, particularly Australian business visas, as all member countries for pre-clearance will share information of applicants before the card can be issued. However, these overseas business people must actively be involved in trade and investments with the APEC member countries like Australia and have applied previously for Australian business visas during these visits.
Currently available is the more generous first stage of new eligibility arrangements and a new application form. This could be availed by Australian business travelers who wish to take advantage of the facilitated visa and border processes offered by the ABTC scheme.

The first stage of the new arrangements now allows applications from businesses that are recognized as being engaged in trade and investment in the APEC region. These include the current Forbes Global 2000 business list, businesses that have received an Export Market Development Grant from Austrade in the past five years, or businesses that have been a national finalist in the Australian Export Awards in the past five years.
According to Mr. Bowen, the first stage of these new arrangements will immediately enable more Australian businesspeople to gain access to the APEC card.
A second stage of arrangements will soon be announced in the coming months. This will allow other businesses – particularly small to medium enterprises – to gain access to the APEC card once they have been approved by a relevant business body.

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