Australia has a thriving and growing economy. Employers are constantly looking for educated and skilled staff. The Skilled Migration Program that allows foreigners who are qualified or experienced in a required profession to migrate to Australia. General Skilled Migration is the most popular form of migration to Australia.
General Skilled Migration Criteria:
- Be qualified or experienced in a skilled occupation (found on the Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List)
- Must take a skill assessment for your specific occupation. This assessment is usually administered by a registered evaluating authority and is usually determined by what qualifications and work experience the applicant possesses.
- Be aged between 18 – 50 years of age
- Possess a high level English ability
- English ability can be measured through English tests (usually IELTS). If you are from a non-native speaking country, you have the option of not sitting the exam, however it is suggested if you want to obtain the maximum number of points.
- Be of good character and health
* The above list does may not constitute all of the visa criteria. If you feel like you qualify for the visa, feel free to complete our free online visa assessment or contact us directly.
Skill Select
To apply for both the skilled independent and skilled nominated visa, applicants are required to first register their Expression Of Interest (EOI) through Skill Select . Once you have submitted an EOI you can be be invited then be invited the Australian government, Australian employers or state governments to apply for the skilled visa.
After receiving an invitation to apply for the visa from the Department of Home Affairs, applicants will then have 60 days to lodge a visa application. If you do not receive an invitation to lodge a visa application, you will not be eligible to apply for the visa. Because applicants only have 60 days to lodge a visa application.
Points Test
In order to be receive an invitation to apply for the Department of Home Affairs, all applicants must first have their skills assessed through a points test. Potential visa applicants can received points for different attributes such as:
- Age
- Work Experience
- English Ability
- Education
- Plus several other categories
At present, to pass the points test and potentially be offered an invitation to apply, visa applicants must receive 65 points. Please note that simply receiving 65 points in the points test does not guarantee that you will receive an invitation to apply.
Different skilled migration visa subclasses
Skilled Independent – Subclass 189
This is by far the most common Skilled Migration Visa. It allows foreign nationals who are successfully granted a Skilled Independent Visa permanent residency in Australia. Some of the main benefits of permanent residency include:
- The holder may remain in Australia indefinitely
- The holder is eligible to live, work and study in Australia
- They are eligible to receive public healthcare
- The holder is eligible for children to attend public schools
Visa Criteria
In order to qualify for a Subclass 190 visa, you would need to:
- Lodge an EOI and be invited by Department of Home Affairs to apply
- Meet the pass mark in the skilled migration points test – currently 65 points
- Be aged between 18 and 50 years
- Pass Skills Assessment in an occupation on the relevant Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List
- Have Competent English or higher (6 minimum in IELTS or holder of approved passports)
- Meet health and character requirements
Visa Application Fee: $3600 AUD *Plus credit card payment fee if paying by credit card
**The price is correct as of May 12th 2016, and is subject to change. For further information on current visa fees refer to the Immi website
Excluded costs (these may or may not be required):
- Skills Assessment
- English testing
- Medical exams
- Police checks
- Translation of required documents
- Postage
Skilled Nominated – subclass 190
The skilled nominated (subclass 190) visa is a permanent visa which requires the applicant to receive nomination by a State or Territory Government. The visa holder will be nominated work work in a profession that is listed on the Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List. If there is a shortage of individuals skilled to work in that particular profession, the State or Territory governments may choose to nominate a visa holder to fill these roles. It could be useful to review the individual state or territory websites listed below to see which professions are required.
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- Victoria
- Western Australia
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Northern Territory
Visa Application Fee: $3600 AUD *Plus credit card payment fee if paying by credit card
**The price is correct as of May 12th 2016, and is subject to change. For further information on current visa fees refer to the Immi website
Excluded costs (these may or may not be required):
- Skills Assessment
- English testing
- Medical exams
- Police checks
- Translation of required documents
- Postage
Where can you apply?
Visa applicants can apply both in Australia and overseas. However in order to apply from within Australia, visa applicants must be on a substantive or appropriate bridging visa.
Duration
Both the skilled independent (subclass 189) and skilled nominated (subclass 190) visas are permanent visas. Therefore they both allow the holder to remain in Australia indefinitely.