The Australian government has officially cut the processing time for business visa approvals for Indonesian citizens (WNI) to just three days. This strategic step was taken to facilitate the mobility of domestic business players in exploring investment opportunities and business expansion in the Land of the Kangaroo.
Australia's Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Matt Thistlethwaite MP, explained that this business visa policy with a five-year validity period is part of a tangible commitment to strengthen economic relations between the two countries. This announcement was made during the launch of the Katalis 2.0 program in South Jakarta on Monday (13/7/2026).
Katalis 2.0 is a continuation of the cooperation program under the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA). To support the operations of this program, the Australian government is allocating a grant of AUD 40 million to boost bilateral investment flows, which continue to show a positive trend.
The success of the previous program, Katalis 1.0, has been proven to facilitate Indonesian female MSME entrepreneurs in exporting cocoa, as well as providing online training for Indonesian healthcare workers to pursue careers in the Australian medical sector. Katalis 2.0 is now designed to expand the range of sectors involved in the cooperation.
Responding to this, the Deputy Minister of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia, Dyah Roro Esti, mapped out three main sectors that are priorities in Katalis 2.0, namely education, healthcare services, and MSME empowerment. In the education sector, the focus is directed towards opening Australian branch campuses in Indonesia as well as joint degree programs.
In addition, the health sector will focus on upgrading the competence of Indonesian nurses to meet international standards through knowledge transfer. This cooperation is expected to enhance the global competitiveness of local business players and strengthen the economic integration of the two countries, whose investment value has continued to grow since 2020.
