The Consul General of the Australian Consulate-General in Hong Kong, Mr. Paul Tighe, visited the Identification Services Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region (hereafter called "Macao SAR") and met with the Director, Mr. Isaac Ieng Kit Lai today (10th May 2012). Mr. Tighe informed the Macao SAR Government that with effect from 1st July 2012 the government of Australia will introduce simplifying measures to facilitate visa applications for the Macao residents to Australia in accordance with the subsequent negotiations and agreement reached between the two parties. The measure is called "Label-Free Visa Arrangements" to target on the Macao SAR Passport holders, the Macao SAR Travel Permit holders and all other Macao residents, regardless of their country of origin. This measure applies to all visa types, including tourist, business, student and migration visas. Once the measure takes effect, applicants will no longer need to lodge their applications in person at the Australian Consulate-General in Hong Kong nor send their original copy of travel documents to Hong Kong. Upon the application lodgement with supporting documents followed by the assessment being completed, applicants will be sent a letter by post or by email confirming the decision. For other types of visa applications, procedures remain unchanged. Physical visa labels will not be affixed in the travel document of the applicants under the new "Label-Free Visa Arrangements". Visa information is instead recorded in Australia's immigration system database. These computerized records are available to airline staff at the airports for verification of those flights' check-in passengers bound for Australia. Applicants should print out or keep the reply of the assessment result and present it if needed. The Macao SAR Government and the Australian Government have been maintaining strong levels of cooperation in areas such as immigration, trade, law enforcement and others. Both parties perceive that the facilitating measures will continue to strengthen the ease of travellers and therefore to boost in the tourism, and socio-culture between the two places. In the year of 2011, there were 1485 holders of Macao SAR travel documents applying for various types of visas at the Australian Consulate-General in Hong Kong. For more information on the application of visas to Australia, please visit the website of the Australian Consulate-General in Hong Kong www.hongkong.china.embassy.gov.au.