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| Immigration to Australia |
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As far as Immigration is concerned, Australia is the only country in the world that makes it necessary for everyone entering the country, to have a Visa. Not only that, Australia also has the most complex Visa requirements of the world. For this reason alone, it is necessary to have a thorough knowledge of the Visa procedures in Australia.
The most common Visas available to Australian Immigrants are:
- Temporary Visas
- Skilled Migration
- Business Migration
- Family Migration
Any temporary Visa can be granted for holidays and temporary employment. However, the Visa expires after a certain date and any illegal staying after expiry will find you at the center of Australia Immigration Officials in one of Australia's immigration centers.
There are some forms of temporary Australian Visas that can be granted on the basis of the passport of nationality. These do not require any documentation to be submitted and are known as Electronic Travel Authorities (ETAs). An ETA usually permits a stay of up to three months initially.
In Australia, one of the best opportunities of getting entry is as a Skilled Worker or Skilled Immigrant. Under the Australian General Skilled Migration Program, any skilled migrant or skilled worker can use their qualifications, experience and language ability to convince the Immigration Officers for a Visa to live and work in Australia.
The Australian General Skilled Migration program is meant for unsponsored people who have the skills required to fulfill labor shortages in Australia. All applicants for a Skilled Immigrant Visa should be over 18 years of age and under 45. They should be able to speak good English and have skilled work experience or an eligible Australian qualification as listed on Australia’s Skilled Occupation List (SOL).
A few recent changes to the Skilled Migration Program include extra points for good English skills and also modified the Visa structure from having 15 subclasses to 9 subclasses. The various subclass Visa options that are available under the General Skilled Migration Program are divided into onshore and offshore categories and are further divided into sponsored and independent categories.
Sponsored Visas – These are Visas for applicants who are sponsored by Australian relatives or by an Australian State/Territory Government. Sponsored Visas have more requirements placed upon them and at times need a bond to be paid.
Independent Visas – Independent Visas have the least number of requirements or restrictions. They are the preferred Visa category for those with right qualifications and no sponsors.
Offshore Visa Subclasses – These may be applied for from outside or within Australia. However, unless the applicant is a citizen of New Zealand, he or she must be outside of Australia while the decision is made. The Subclasses are:
Skilled - Independent (Subclass 175) – This Visa is the preferred Visa for those wishing to immigrate to Australia, but do not have any family member or Australian State or Territory to sponsor them. It is assessed on a points based system requiring 120 points to pass and 100 points required in making it to the reserve pool. To be eligible for this Visa, one must meet certain requirements:
- Applicant must be under 45 years of age.
- Applicant must be competent in English and have good vocational English if the applicant’s occupation is trade.
- Applicant must nominate an occupation listed on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL).
- Applicant must have been employed for at least 12 months in said occupation or meet the 2 year study requirement in the last six months with Australian qualifications relate to the nominated occupation.
- Applicant must meet the test threshold of 120 points and also pass all health and character requirements.
Skilled – Sponsored (Subclass 176) – This is a permanent Visa and requires a score of 100 points to pass and 80 points to be placed in a reserve pool. To be eligible for this Visa, applicants should meet certain requirements:
- Applicant should be under 45 years of age and sponsored by an eligible relative or a state or territory government.
- Applicant must be competent in English and have good vocational English if the applicant’s occupation is trade.
- Applicant must nominate an occupation listed on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL).
- Applicant must have been employed for at least 12 months in said occupation or meet the 2 year study requirement in the last six months with Australian qualifications relate to the nominated occupation.
- Applicant must meet the test threshold of 100 points and also pass all health and character requirements.
Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Subclass 475) – This is a provisional Visa, valid for three years. Holders of this Visa can apply for a permanent Skilled-Regional Visa once they have lived for two years and worked full time for a year in Australia. This requires 100 points to pass and does not have a reserve pool. Requirements to be eligible for this Visa are:
- Applicant should be under 45 years of age and sponsored by an eligible relative or a state or territory government.
- Applicant must be competent in English and have good vocational English if the applicant’s occupation is trade. Or he or she can be considered if proved to have paid a fee to attend and English course in an Australian state or territory.
- Applicant must nominate an occupation listed on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) and have required skills assessment by a relevant assessing authority.
- Applicant must have been employed for at least 12 months in said occupation or meet the 2 year study requirement in the last six months with Australian qualifications related to the nominated occupation.
- Applicant must meet the test threshold of 100 points and also pass all health and character requirements.
Skilled – Recognized Graduate (Subclass 476) – This is a temporary Visa, valid for 18 months only. It is specifically for engineering graduates from recognized overseas universities having skills that are in demand in Australia. Recognized Graduate (subclass 476) Visa holders have unrestricted study and work rights and can apply for a permanent or employer sponsored Visa at any time. Eligibility requirements for this Visa are:
- Applicant must be under 31 years of age and meet required levels of English competency.
- Applicant must have a degree in engineering or higher qualification from an educational institute recognized by the govt. of Australia.
- Applicant must meet all health and character requirements.
Onshore Visa Subclasses – These Visa subclasses can be applied for from those who are already in Australia on an eligible Visa.
Skilled – Independent (Subclass 885) – This is a permanent Visa for migrants who want to immigrate to Australia on the basis of skills and experience needed in Australia. This Visa is assessed on a point system and requires 120 points to pass. There is no reserve pool for this Visa.
Skilled - Sponsored (Subclass 886) – This Visa is similar to the onshore skilled independent Visa but, requires sponsorship from a relative or state/territory govt. It is assessed by the points system and requires 100 points to pass. There is no reserve pool for this Visa.
Skilled – Graduate (Subclass 485) - This is an 18 month temporary Visa which allows the Visa holder to work and study without restrictions. The Visa holder can apply for a permanent general skilled migration Visa or employer sponsored Visa at any time.
Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Subclass 487) – This Visa is valid for three years. Skilled – Regional sponsored Visa holders can apply for a permanent Skilled - Regional Visa if they have lived in Australia for two years and worked full time for a year. This Visa requires 100 points to pass and applicants must either be sponsored by an eligible relative residing in Australia or a state/territory govt.
Skilled – Regional (Subclass 887) - This is a second stage permanent Visa and does not need any points to obtain.
Work Permits
Work permits, also known as employer sponsored Visas, are of two types:
Employer Nominated Migration Visa – Onshore in Australia or Overseas Application:
- This type of Visa is sponsored by the employer. It is also referred to as the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS).
- Permanent residents who enter Australia under the Employer Nomination Scheme have jobs waiting for them. Or they can apply for this Visa in Australia if they have a temporary working Visa, a working holiday Visa or a Skilled – Graduate temporary Visa. In any case, the Australian employer is the sponsor.
- This Visa category has been considerably changed since July 2005. This has been done to encourage more skilled workers to enter this country. Australia is always eager to accept skilled workers, especially those with trade skills.
- For this Visa, the Australian employer needs to pay a fee to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Business Centre. The employees must pay a fee too. The procedure is very expensive if you are already in Australia. The payment includes all the family members in the application. Other costs are the immigrants’ medical assessments, skills assessment fee (if required), police clearance documents, necessary translations, medical reports and photographs.
- The payments are all non-refundable in case the application fails.
Region (Designated Area) Employer Sponsored Migration Visa onshore and offshore:
- This Visa is also called the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS). It is to help employers in rural areas find skilled workers.
- Migrant applicants should be prepared to live in a country area or in a small city or town. Australia country sides are beautiful and people are friendly and helpful to new arrivals.
- This Visa can be applied for from inside Australia or offshore. But, in case the applicant is already in Australia, he or she must hold a substantive qualifying Visa with working provision.
- There are three stages to obtaining this Visa:
- The nomination and job vacancy must be approved by the Regional Certifying Body (RCB).
- The employer will then apply to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to be able to employ the overseas worker by providing complete details of the company structure and the type of employee needed.
- The nominated employee then applies for the Visa.
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