A tourist from Singapore paid $192 for an Australian visa that costs $20: here's what she did wrong
A tourist from Singapore, planning a trip to Australia, overpaid by $170 for a visa that costs about $20. She mentioned that her mother used to handle the documents, and her first independent attempt was unsuccessful.
The girl shared her unfortunate experience on TikTok. In nearly 4 minutes, she recounted how she incorrectly submitted the documents, advised others to do the same, and detailed the moment she realized her mistake.
The Singaporean woman acknowledged that the entire situation was entirely her fault. She admitted to not thoroughly reviewing all the information related to the visa application.
"I just followed the links. For example, a Singapore passport, which one should I click on? And I clicked on the one that costs 20 dollars, right? And then, when I was filling in all my data, I was suddenly told: 'You have to pay this service fee, then this fee, then this fee.' And then: 'total 192 Australian dollars'... I thought: 'Okay, let me just hurry up because I'm going to Australia in a few days,'" the tourist explained.
Later, while assisting her friend, she realized that she had not attached any documents, meaning her identity would not be confirmed, and the visa would not be approved.
During her second application, the tourist consulted her friends on how they traveled to Australia, and they informed her that a visa should not cost more than $20.
"And then I realized everything. I applied for the wrong visa. And I don't even know why it was the wrong one, because it's the same as a tourist visa. Except that mine was for one year," the blogger explained.
She advised her subscribers to apply for a visa earlier and to carefully read all the information before blindly making payments.