Went to VFS this morning to submit my Australian visa application. Can’t believe it’s been 2 years since I last applied for one! I honestly felt my Perth trip was not too long ago, but in fact it’s been more than 2 years! (My very first Australian visa was done when I was 11 years old)

So what’s different now? For a start, they no longer accept application at the Australian High Commission. They now do it at a dedicated visa centre called VFS where they partner with the embassy for visa application, and their service covers a variety of country, e.g. Australia, NZ, UK, Russia, etc.

My previous submission took quite a long time (almost 2 hours if I remember correctly), but that was mainly due to me needing to make a copy of ALL stamped pages in my passport (more detailed story in the hyperlink above). So this time I remembered to make a copy of all stamped pages in my passport, and I also submitted my previous Australian visa AND my old passport with all the stamped pages to show more travel history (cos my current passport is only a year old and it’s not really full yet… excuse to travel more? Hehehehe).

I arrived at the centre at 8:30 this morning, had a security guard checking me and my bag’s content, took a queue number and went inside.

I only had to sit for about 2 minutes before my number was called. They have quite a number of counter so that really helps with the crowd control.

Another thing that’s different now is that I had to give them my passport as well for biometric registration (previously it was not needed). So after submitting the documents and paying the fee (S$148 visa fee + S$42 processing fee = S$190), I waited for about 10 minutes before my number was called to one of the biometric registration rooms.

Once I was inside, it was the standard stuff: verification of personal detail, fingerprints recording, and photo taking. All in all, it only took about 3 minutes and the staff handed me 2 receipts: one for the biometric registration and the other one for the visa application itself.

And I was done! I checked the time and I only spent a total of 26 minutes there! So efficient, I like it!

I applied for business visa this time, so the processing time should be within 5 working days. I hope it goes through smoothly and I can fly off early next month!

Oh, this application actually happened because… I accepted a new job offer from an Australian start-up! So yea, I’ve tendered my resignation at Circus and my last day would be in 2 weeks time.

If you ask me where are my favourite places to be at, airports would be one of the answers on my list. There’s something about airports that attract me every time I walked into one. I love the feeling of taking trains/cab/any mode of transportation to an airport. It gives me a feeling of excitement (and sometimes sadness).

I love the feeling of walking to the check in counter and handing my passport and ticket over to the counter staff. I love the feeling of walking through the Immigration area with my passport scanned/stamped. I love the feeling of roaming around an airport. I love the feeling of simply sitting down by the huge windows facing the ramp watching planes lining up in rows and occasionally watching them taking off or landing on the runway. I actually think it’s pretty therapeutic to do so.

There’s something about airport that draws me to it. It’s a place where goodbyes were exchanged, hugs and kisses were given aplenty, where people sent their loved ones away on a trip, where they welcomed them back and embraced them with big smiles on their faces. Airport is a place that can provoke lots of emotions by just being at one place.

So far I’ve been to….. *wait ar, lemme count* I think around 23 different airports or so. Not many, but most of them hold some memories to me. Here are my favourites so far:

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