About skilled migration program
Among various pathways to obtain permanent residence in Australia, a skilled migration program might be of particular interest.
Australia encourages this migration program as it needs to fill the labor market with people possessing high skills, and since there is demand for specialists in certain states and territories of the country due to labor shortages.
The main feature of this program that makes it so much preferable to ordinary work immigration is that applicants do not need an invitation from an Australian employer.
Thus, if your occupation is in the skilled occupations list and you can confirm your education and professional experience for compliance with Australian standards, you can be eligible for this program.
Skilled migration visas
Skilled migration has three different visas – each with its own requirements and conditions.
Skilled Independent Visa (permanent) (189)
This visa is suitable for applicants with the highest possible skills which allows gaining additional points in order to be selected from the general pool of applicants.
The visa grants the right for permanent residence, work and study in any location in Australia. One can have access to Australia’s public health care scheme with service at low or no cost and have the right to sponsor certain family members to come to Australia.
To be eligible for the visa you must meet certain requirements:
- Be under 45 years
- Your occupation is sought-after, as follows
- You have relevant work experience.
- You have a relevant skills assessment.
- You have no criminal record.
- You have no infectious diseases.
- You accumulate at least 65 points on the immigration points grid (see at the end of the text).
- You have received invitation to apply for the visa.
- You have at least competent English level.
The Department Application Fees:
| Main Applicant | AUD 4,045 |
| Secondary Applicant (18 and over) | AUD 2,020 |
| Secondary Applicant (under 18) | AUD 1,015 |
Skilled Nominated Visa (permanent) 190
This is another visa that can grant the right for permanent residence, work and study in any location in Australia. It will primarily suit those applicants whose skills and experience do not allow them to gather enough points to apply for a Skilled Independent Visa subclass 189 visa. The nomination from a state or territory compensates this lack of points as it gives additional 5 points. However, the nominating state wants your commitment to living in the state for 2 years, but it is not a visa condition.
With this visa, you can have access to Australia’s public health care scheme with service at low or no cost, and have the right to sponsor certain family members to come to Australia.
To be eligible for the visa you must meet certain requirements:
- be under 45 years
- your occupation must be any of the long term, short term, or regional lists in the Migration (LIN 19/051: Specification of Occupations and Assessing Authorities) Instrument, however the particular state needs to confirm that they are willing to nominate this occupation)
- you have a relevant skills assessment
- you have relevant work experience
- you have no criminal record
- you have no infectious diseases
- you accumulate at least 65 points on the immigration points grid (see at the end of the text)
- you have received a nomination from a state or territory to apply for the visa
- you have been invited to apply for the visa
- you have competent English level
State or Territory Nomination Application Fee range from AUD 0,00 to AUD 330.
The Department Application Fees:
| Main Applicant | AUD 4,045 |
| Secondary Applicant (18 and over) | AUD 2,025 |
| Secondary Applicant (under 18) | AUD 1,010 |
Skilled Work Regional (provisional) 491
This visa gives you the right to live, work and study in a particular regional area in Australia for a period of 5 years. It is a provisional visa that opens the pathway for obtaining permanent residence after the applicant has lived and worked for at least 3 full years in total (within the given 5 years) in a regional area that nominated them. The advantage of this visa in comparison to 190 is that one can get additional 15 points from the regional area nomination, which increases the number of their total points.
With this visa one can have access to Australia’s public health care scheme with service at low or no cost.
To be eligible for the visa you must meet the following requirements:
- be under 45 years
- your occupation must be any of the long term, short term, or regional lists in the Migration (LIN 19/051: Specification of Occupations and Assessing Authorities) Instrument, however the particular state needs to confirm that they are willing to nominate this occupation)
- you have a relevant skills assessment obtained less than 3 years before the invitation
- you have relevant work experience
- you have no criminal record
- you have no infectious diseases
- you accumulate at least 65 points on the immigration points grid (see at the end of the text)
- you have a nomination from a state, territory or you are sponsored by an eligible relative residing in Australia
- you have competent English level
State or Territory Nomination Application Fee range from AUD 0, 00 to AUD 330.
The Department Application Fees:
| Main Applicant | AUD 4,045 |
| Secondary Applicant (18 and over) | AUD 2,025 |
| Secondary Applicant (under 18) | AUD 1,010 |
How to improve chances to get the visa
Note, that you can often improve your chances of getting skilled migration visas. Thus, higher points give you an advantage over other applicants. For instance, you can accumulate additional points for better English proficiency, or for Credentialed community language (NAATI), or partner skills (see the Immigration Points Grid below). Or you can entrust the work to a professional who will help you with it.
Immigration Points Grid
Age
| 18 – 24 years | 25 |
| 25 – 32 years | 30 |
| 33 – 39 years | 25 |
| 40 – 44 years | 15 |
English language skills
| Competent English: | 0 |
- IELTS: 6 for each of the components
- TOEFL iBT: 12 listening, 13 reading, 21 writing, 18 speaking
- PTE Academic: 50 for each of the components
- OET: B for all the components
| Proficient English | 10 |
- IELTS: 7 for each of the components
- TOEFL iBT: 24 listening, 24 reading, 27 writing, 23 speaking
- PTE Academic: 65 for each of the components
- OET: B for all the components
| Superior English | 20 |
- IELTS: 8 for each of the components
- TOEFL iBT: 28 listening, 29 reading, 30 writing, 26 speaking
- PTE Academic: 79 for each of the components
- OET: A for all the components
Skilled employment outside Australia
| Less than 3 years | 0 |
| 3 but less than 5 years | 5 |
| At least 5 but less than 8 years | 10 |
| At least 8 years | 15 |
Skilled employment in Australia
| Less than 1 year | 0 |
| 1 but less than 3 years | 5 |
| 3 but less than 5 years | 10 |
| 5 but less than 8 years | 15 |
| At least 8 years | 20 |
Educational qualifications (one option only)
| A Doctorate from an Australian educational institution or a Doctorate from another recognized educational institution. | 20 |
| At least a Bachelor’s degree from an Australian educational institution or at least a Bachelor’s qualification, from another recognized educational institution. | 15 |
| A diploma or trade qualification from an Australian educational institution. | 10 |
| A qualification or award recognized by the relevant assessing authority for your nominated skilled occupation as being suitable for that occupation | 10 |
Specialist education qualification
| A Masters degree by research or a Doctorate degree from an Australian educational institution that included at least 2 academic years of study in the following field: | 10 |
- biological sciences
- chemical sciences
- earth sciences
- mathematical sciences
- natural and physical sciences
- other natural and physical sciences
- physics and astronomy
- computer science
- information systems
- information technology
- other information technology
- aerospace engineering and technology
- civil engineering
- electrical and electronic engineering and technology
- engineering and related technologies
- geomatics engineering
- manufacturing engineering and technology
- maritime engineering and technology
- mechanical and industrial engineering and technology
- other engineering and related technologies
- process and resources engineering.
Australian study requirement
| At least 1 degree, diploma or trade qualification from an Australian educational institution that meets the Australian study requirement. | 5 |
Professional Year in Australia
| Completion of a Professional Year in Australia. To be eligible your Professional Year must have been in Accounting, ICT/Computing or Engineering, and: | 5 |
- in your nominated occupation or a closely related occupation
- completed over a period of at least 12 months
- completed in Australia in the 4 years before you are invited to apply for a visa
- provided by one of these organizations:
- the Australian Computer Society
- CPA Australia
- Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand
- the Institute of Public Accountants (formerly the National Institute of Accountants)
- Engineers Australia.
Credentialed community language
| Hold a recognized qualification in a credentialed community language – you must have been accredited at the paraprofessional level or above, certified at the certified provisional level or above, or have a community language credential for interpreting or translating by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). | 5 |
Study in regional Australia
| At least 1 degree, diploma or trade qualification from an Australian educational institution that satisfies the Australian study requirement obtained while living and studying in an eligible area of regional Australia. | 5 |
Partner skills
| Your partner must also be an applicant for the same visa subclass, must not be an Australian permanent resident or an Australian citizen is under 45 years old at the time of invitation, have competent English and meets skill criteria. | 10 |
| Your partner must be an applicant for the same visa subclass and has competent English, must not be an Australian permanent resident or an Australian citizen. | 5 |
| You are single or your partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident | 10 |
Nomination
| You were invited to apply for a Subclass 190 visa | 5 |
| You were invited to apply for a Subclass 491 visa | 15 |