Santa Claus took advantage of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship’s (DIAC) award-winning visa wizard service and knew he could leave it until Christmas Eve to apply for – and obtain – his visa online.

Given Santa’s intention to engage in limited work, of a highly specialised and non-ongoing nature while in Australia, he had previously used the business (short stay) subclass 456 visa. However, the wizard told him he was also eligible to apply online using the eVisitor system.

A DIAC spokesman said today Santa’s visa was approved online instantaneously, given the happiness and economic benefits that had resulted from previous visits and his excellent record of compliance with past visa conditions.

“Perhaps Santa left his visa shopping to the last minute because he’d read about our award-winning initiatives and the ease with which he could apply,” a DIAC spokesman said. “We want to ensure the only red tape in which Santa gets mired is the kind his elves use to tie bows on presents at the North Pole.”

The spokesman said the department’s visa wizard and the citizenship wizard were part of the 21st century online services the department was developing.

“This means faster and better services tailored to the needs of all our clients – not just Santa," the spokesman said. “While it’s widely known how efficiently Santa manages his time, we do recommend he doesn’t leave it quite so late next year.”

DIAC’s online visa and citizenship sites won its second award with a first prize in the business process category at the international FutureGov Government Technology Awards in Bali in 2009. This followed the wizards’ first prize at the prestigious e-Awards for Excellence in e­-Government at the CeBIT international business technology conference in Sydney earlier the same year.

Media Enquiries: National Communications Branch (02) 6264 2244