General Skilled Migration Visas
Australia welcomes all those skilled individuals who seeks to work or invest in the country. With a number of General Skilled Migration visa types available, you can live and work in Australia, and build your Australian dream your way! General Skilled Migration Visas address a number of goals, such as having accomplished genuine skill shortages, diversifying market skills and increasing entrepreneurial talent without encroaching upon opportunities for Australian workers.
Are you counting your employment and living options in Australia? Read on to find out what criteria and conditions you must meet to validate your eligibility for the most appropriate form of visa for you.
Skilled Independent (Subclass 189)
For this visa type, you do not need to be sponsored by a State or Territory Government, an employer or a family member. However, you do need to submit an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect and fulfill some prerequisites before you lodge a valid application for this visa.
Eligibility Prerequisites
- Score at least 65 points (the pass mark) on the Points Test
- Must have a valid invitation to apply
- Must be below the age mark of 45 years of age when you are invited to apply
- The applicants must declare that they have a suitable skill assessment at the time of invitation, in order to it to be valid.
- Nominate an occupation that matches your skills and qualifications. The occupation must be listed on the relevant Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL)
- Must meet the necessary English Language requirements
- Must meet the health and character requirements.
Application Procedure
The Subclass 189 is based on a 3 step application process, which starts with getting your skills assessed.
Step 1
To start with the application process, you need to complete a skills assessment test under the relevant government body. This enables the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) to judge if you have adequate skills in your chosen occupation to practice in Australia.
Step 2
After you receive a positive answer in your skills assessment, you will need to submit an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect. You can do this in or outside Australia.
Step 3
The third step involves getting an Invitation To Apply (ITA) for the Subclass 189. Once you have been issued an ITA, you can submit your final application and wait for the approval of DIBP for granting you the visa.
Skilled Nominated Subclass 190
If you want to apply for a Skilled Nominated Subclass 190 visa, you must first lodge an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect and be invited by the Department of Immigration to step further into the process.
Henceforth, you must lodge your application within the next 60 days, which is why you should start gathering your documentation in the as soon as possible, after receiving the invitation.
There’s a certain eligibility criterion that you have to follow to receive the Skilled Nomination Subclass 190.
Eligibility Prerequisites
- You must have a relevant occupation which is on the skilled occupation list
- You should have a suitable skills assessment for the occupation
- You must achieve pass mark of 65 points in the points test
- You must be nominated by a state or territory government agency
- You must be under 45 years of age at time of invitation
- You must meet the necessary English Language requirements
Application Procedure
Step 1
Check if your nominated occupation is listed on Australia’s Occupational Demand list. Visa subclass 190 is only available to the applicants who can fill a position mentioned on MLTSSL (Medium or Long Term Strategic Skill List) or STSOL (Short Term Skilled Occupation List)
Step 2
Before you lodge your application for the skilled nomination visa subclass 190, get a skilled migration assessment, known as a points test. Submit your EOI based on that through SkillSelect.
Step 3
Recognize the nomination program run by your state, and obtain a Government Nomination from the Australian State/Territory. After submitting your EOI, Australian government authorities will be able to view it. If the concerned Australian authority approves your request, you will receive a letter of Invitation to apply for Subclass 190 visa.
Skilled Regional Provisional Subclass 489
To qualify, you would need to be sponsored by either a relative living in a designated area or a State or Territory Government.
To apply for a Sponsored (Provisional) Subclass 489 visa, you must lodge an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect. Once your EOI is acknowledged, you will receive an invitation to apply from the DIBP, which you must respond to with your application within a period of 60 days.
To apply for this visa you must fulfill the following eligibility requirements:
Eligibility Criteria
- You must score at least 65 points (the pass mark) on the Points Test.
- You must be invited to apply.
- You must be younger than 45 years of age when you are invited to apply
- You should nominate an occupation that matches your skills and qualifications and is on the relevant Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL).
- You should have your skills assessed by the relevant assessing authority as suitable for your nominated occupation
- You should meet all the English Language requirements.
- You must meet the health and character requirements.
The Skilled Regional Visa subclass 887 comes under the sponsored work visa category, that allows individuals who have a certain level of education, skills and employability beneficial for the economy of Australia. If you’re seeking permanent residency in Australia, this visa can entitle you to the same based on a combination of your skills, work experience and sponsorship from the State or Territory that nominated you.
Visa Criteria
Residence in Regional Area
To qualify for citizenship, these individuals shall be willing to settle in the States or Territories of Australia where their skills are in demand and can demonstrate that they have spent their past 2 years lawfully in Australia already on a Skilled – Nominated (Provisional) visa.
Work Experience
You have worked for at least 12 months in Australia. It is not necessary that this experience should be in a skilled occupation, but must be full time (at least 35 hours per week) and that too in a regional area.
Application Process
Step 1
The first step talks about selection of nominees. The potential nominees are selected by participating States/Territories in Australia to meet the skills shortages in those States/Territories. The current participating States/Territories are Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland, the Northern Territory and Tasmania.
Step 2
If your visa gets approved, you would have to undertake the following obligations:
- Live in the nominating State/Territory for at least 2 years
- Keep immigration authorities informed of changes to your address
- Take part in surveys as required
Temporary Graduate Subclass 485
The Graduate Temporary Subclass 485 allows migrant students who have completed their 2 years of study in Australia, to live and work in the country for a time span of 18 months to 4 years.
It is a great option for internationals who want to extend their length of stay and gain work experience in Australia after their academic years. It also helps those who are seeking to stay in Australia permanently – either through General Skilled Migration or employer sponsorship.
Eligibility Criteria:
- The applicants’ first student visa to Australia must be granted on or after 5th November 2011
- The studies must be registered on CRICOS, and the total registered study period according to CRICOS must be at least 92 weeks.
- You can count studies at the diploma level or higher, and also Certificate III courses in trade occupations. This would include diplomas, advanced diplomas, bachelor degrees, graduate diplomas, masters, and PhDs.
- The study for the qualification/ qualifications met the requirements of the Australian study in the last six months.
- You must be younger than 50 years of age when you apply for the visa
- You must attend a course or series of courses in Australia which take 2 academic years to complete.
Graduate Work stream
This category is for the international students who have graduated with skills and qualifications that are relevant to the Skilled occupation list. It allows students to live, study and work temporarily in Australia.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Your studies need to be “related” to your nominated occupation.
- You must be younger than 50 years of age when you apply for the visa
- The studies must be registered on CRICOS, and the total registered study period according to CRICOS must be at least 92 weeks.
- The study for the qualification/ qualifications met the requirements of the Australian study in the last six months.
- Nominated occupation should be on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills list
- The applicant should have a degree, diploma or trade qualification closely related to the nominated occupation.
- You must attend a course or series of courses in Australia which take 2 academic years to complete.
English Test Requirement
All Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa applicants must take an English Language Assessment. If you sit the IELTS, you must score an average of 6.0 with at least 5.0 in each band.