IMPORTANT CHANGE - Visa label free arrangements in the Philippines from 1 June 2012
Australia’s modern electronic visa system does not require you to have a visa label placed in your passport to confirm your immigration status and entitlements in Australia. See Visa label free fact sheet.
From 24 November 2012, if travellers still need or request a label they will need to pay a fee for it. This cost for a visa label is called the Visa Evidence Charge (VEC). Travellers can only request and pay for a visa label if they have a current Australian visa. Regardless of when a visa application was lodged, or a visa granted, anyone who requests a visa label after 24 November 2012 will be charged.
The charge for a visa label is AUD70 although there will be exemptions to the VEC for humanitarian, diplomatic and government sponsored visa applicants.
To facilitate your travel to Australia make sure you print out a copy of your visa grant notification letter. When you check-in to fly to Australia, airline staff will refer to your visa grant letter and passport to electronically confirm that you have authority to travel to Australia prior to boarding the aircraft.