Australian Visas

Australian Visas

Everyone travelling to Australia who is not a citizen requires an Australian visa to enter the country, whether it is for a holiday or to take up temporary or permanent residence.

There are a range of visas available to people wishing to move to Australia for the short or long term, including Skilled Migration, Employer Sponsored, Family Migration and Working Holiday Visas.

Skilled Migration Visa

The Australian Skilled Migration Program is aimed at attracting highly skilled people to contribute to the country’s economy. Successful applicants are granted permanent residence in Australia.

Eligibility is based on such things as occupation, English language ability, qualifications, recent work experience and age. This will be tested against basic eligibility requirements, the visa points test, along with a skills assessment by the relevant Australian assessing body.

A skilled visa is the migration route most people use to obtain permanent residency in Australia. This visa allows you and your accompanying family to permanently migrate to Australia if you have skills and experience in an occupation determined by the Australian Government to be in demand.
Although a skilled visa provides the right to live and work in Australia for the rest of your life, it initially provides a 5 year window in which to migrate. This means that even if your migration plans for Australia are a few years in the future, if you are eligible for a skilled visa now it makes sense to obtain permanent residency while you are eligible. As visa regulations change on a regular basis, it is always advisable to apply while the window of opportunity presents itself.
Obtaining a skilled visa involves at least a two, but often a three, stage process – each of which requires a separate application. These are:
1) Skills Assessment – application submitted to the designated Australian authority responsible for assessing skills and qualifications in your occupation.

2) Visa Application – submitted to the federal government’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
Each of the above three stages/applications have their own eligibility requirements. For the skills assessment and to a lesser extent state sponsorship applications, these differ depending on your specific occupation.
For the final visa application, the same basic eligibility requirements apply to all skilled applicants. These are:
 * Under 45 years of age
 * Have a competent level of English
* An occupation on the Skilled Occupation List or the State Migration Plan of one of the Australian states and territories
 * Work experience in your occupation for at least 12 of the past 24 months
* You and your dependent family must all pass police and medical checks (this is completed at the end of the visa process)

3) Medical checks.

In addition to these basic requirements, the skilled applicant must also pass the visa points test where points are awarded for a range of things such as occupation, age, level of English language ability, length of work experience, etc. To discover your score and whether you pass the visa points test, complete Next Step Australia’s free visa eligibility assessment.

State Sponsorship

The Skilled Migration Program includes provision for sponsorship by an Australian State or Territory government. The benefit of a state sponsorship is that it lowers the number of points required on the visa points test, making it easier to qualify for a visa under the Skilled Migration Program. Applicants for state sponsorship must be prepared to live and work in the sponsoring state (including sometimes within specific areas of the state) for at least 2 years and will be required to sign an undertaking to this effect.

Family Sponsorship

Sponsorship by an eligible family member who is an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident also lowers the number of points required on the visa points test, making it easier to qualify for a visa under the Skilled Migration Program.

Go to our Portal today and take our visa assessment online to find out if you meet the criteria for a Skilled Migration Visa and to discover your score on the visa points test. Learn more.

Employer Sponsored Visa

Employer sponsorship enables Australian businesses to find suitably qualified and experienced overseas staff within the international jobs market to work in their business. This employer sponsorship can be either on a temporary (subclass 457) or permanent residence visa.

For employer sponsorship on a permanent visa, most positions offered must be on the Employer Nomination Scheme Occupation List.

To be eligible for a permanent employer sponsored visa requires the applicant to not only be offered a job, but in most cases the applicant must have 3 years relevant employment, be under the age of 45 and have vocational English ability. However, in exceptional circumstances one or more of these conditions can be waived.

We have a database of sponsored employment opportunities in our member site which are regularly updated. You will find opportunities across Australia in this database and in many different industry sectors including medical, Automotive, IT, Engineering, Finance and Transport. Visit our Sponsored Employment page today to access these fantastic opportunities.

Costs

Your sponsoring employer may pay for the cost of the visa in full or partially, however you should expect to pay for medical assessments, skills assessment fee (if required), police clearance documents, and photographs. Both permanent and temporary employer sponsored visas cover all immediate family members.

If you would like to search for employer sponsorship opportunities visit our Sponsored Employment page now or visit our Job Portal  to search our 60,000 vacancies in all industries across Australia. Learn more.

Family Migration Visas

There are a number of visa options for family members of Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents and eligible New Zealand citizens wishing to migrate to Australia. Visas are available for fiancé(e)s, partners/spouses, children, parents and other family members. For more information about family visas and to discuss your situation with a Registered Migration Agent visit our Portal. Learn more.

Working Holiday Visas

The Working Holiday Visa provides an opportunity for young people aged 18-30 from selected countries to work in Australia for a full 12 months. It allows you to work for up to 6 months with the same employer and you can apply for a second 12 month Working Holiday Visa if you have worked for at least 3 months in seasonal/agricultural/construction work in certain regional areas.

The Australian working holiday visa allows you to:

* Work in Australia for up to 12 months (up to 6 months with each employer)
* Enter Australia within 12 months of visa grant to begin the visa’s 12 month validity period
* Be able to leave and re-enter Australia any number of times during the 12 month life of the visa
* Study in Australia for up to 4 months

To find temporary job opportunities in Australia and speak to others planning their working holiday log into our job portal and make your details visible to over 550 recruiters and employers across Australia. Learn more