Got my visa extended!

Just to keep you updated, I got my tourist visa extended till 8/9/2010!!! Woohoo! So I'll probably stay here in Australia till then.

Just in case you ever get into the same situation, here is a little advice:

If you are on eVisitor visa (electronic tourist visa for 3 months) and want to extend it, you can do it online (you extend it with another type of tourist visa - Tourist (e676) Visa) BUT you only get 3 more months! Be careful with that because the extension costs 250,- AUD. So if you then decide to extend it again, you'll have to pay 250,- again (my case).

If you KNOW you want to stay longer than 6 months in total (up to one year), download form 601, fill it in, print out your bank account status, you can also write down your travel itinerary (to increase chance your visa will be granted), go to nearest immigration office and lodge the application. They'll check whether you have enough funds for your travels (should be at least 1000,- AUD per month) and you don't intend to work and you'll most likely get the visa granted straight away.

If you KNOW already at home that you want to stay more than 3 months, it's probably better to apply for Tourist (e676) Visa instead of eVisitor first. You'll avoid all the extending hassle later on.