Australian Visa At Airport

Last month, I went to Australia for the first time. Ignorant me assumed that Canadians could easily go to Australia without a visa (through the Commonwealth). I was wrong!

When I got to the airport, the UA check-in agent told me about the visa requirement, but said that she could process the visa right then & there. I've never seen this done before. How are check-in agents able to issue visas?

Just curious!

The check-in agent can do it because it takes just a minute to apply for it from any browser. It is known as ETA:

This is what it says on the electronic document that I received within seconds of completing the online application:

On a related note, a couple of days ago I got the following in an email from DHS, which could be useful for folks with an e-passport, and global entry, SENTRI and/or NEXUS traveling to Australia:

Smartgate does make a big difference in time it takes through immigration - especially the early morning rush. But sometimes the machines are down

Did you have to pay the fee?

There is no official fee for the Australia ETA, although some airlines/travel agents charge a service fee to process it.

I have always had to pay a fee when I applied online. How can you get it without a fee?

Find a travel agent or airline that doesn't charge a service fee.