The General Skilled Migration program is for visa applicants (and their dependent family members) who have a recognised skill and work experience. This visa is for people who do not have an Australian employer to sponsor them but do still have particular skills that are required in Australia.
You (or your Partner) must meet the basic requirements, set by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), in order to qualify for a visa in the General Skilled Migration Program. These requirements do change from time to time but include:
| Age: | You must be under 45 years of age at the time of application (from 1 July, 2011 you will be able to apply provided you are under 50 years of age). |
| English Language: | You will need to show that you have a particular level of English language ability (competent, proficient or superior English). See IELTS for further information. |
| Nominated Occupation: | You will be required to nominate an occupation at the time of application. The nominated occupation must be listed on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) and must match your qualifications and work experience. |
| Qualifications: | You will be required to have post secondary qualifications such as a university degree, diploma or a trade qualification and these skills must be assessed by the relevant assessing authority. |
| Recent Work Experience: | You must be able to demonstrate that you have worked in paid employment in a skilled occupation (any skilled occupation on the SOL) for at least 12 of the 24 months immediately before application. |
| Skill Assessment: | You will be required to get your skills assessed from the relevant Australian assessing authority for your nominated occupation. |
| Health Assessment: | You and your family members must meet the health criteria for a visa to Australia. All applicants must undertake a medical examination by a panel doctor for your health assessment. |
| Character Assessment: | You must be of good character and this is assessed as part of your application. More information on the requirements is available at Character Requirements. |
Skilled – Independent Visa (subclass 175)
This is a permanent Australian visa suitable for applicants who have satisfied all basic requirements, have a nominated occupation on the current SOL and reach a particular pass mark on the Skilled Migration Points Test.
No sponsorship by state or family is required for this visa, and visa holders are able to live anywhere in Australia.
Click here for your free assessment to see if you qualify for this option.
Skilled –Sponsored (Migrant) Visa (subclass 176)
State Sponsored
This is also a permanent Australian visa and again the applicant must satisfy all basic requirements. However with this visa there is a different SOL open to these applicants that has more occupations than the SOL open to those applying for the subclass 175 visa.
In addition to the basic requirements the applicant must be nominated by a participating State or Territory.
Each State and Territory has a skills shortage list and to be considered for State Sponsorship your occupation will need to be on the state list. Further requirements may need to be met and these vary from State to State. Contact us for further information on these requirements.
For further details on State Migration Plans click here.
Click here for your free assessment to see if you qualify for this option.
Family Sponsored
Alternatively, you or your partner can be sponsored by an eligible relative living in Australia who is willing sponsor you.
Click here for your free assessment to see if you qualify for this option.
Skilled Regional State Sponsored Visa (SRS)
The SRS is a temporary visa valid for three years and is designed to encourage migrants, who may not meet requirements for a permanent visa, to live and work in regional Australia. There are separate lists for each State and Territory for the SRS visa so this may be another option.
Regional Areas are based on postcodes.
Once the applicant and family have lived in any regional area for at least 2 years and have been working in any regional area for one year, they can then apply for permanent residency.
The applicant must satisfy the basic requirements and reach a particular pass mark.
Click here for your free assessment to see if you qualify for this option.
Skilled Designated Area Sponsored – Provisional
This visa came into effect on 1 July 2006. This visa is also points tested but if your relative sponsors you, extra points are awarded to assist you to reach the pass mark. The applicant must still meet the basic requirement and the sponsor relative must live in a designated area to be eligible, which is based on postcodes.
This is a temporary visa.
Once granted the visa is valid for a period of 3 years in much the same way as the Skilled Regional Sponsored visa.
Similarly, to move to permanent residency you must live in a designated area for 2 years and work in a designated area for one year to then be able to apply for permanent residency.
Click here for your free assessment to see if you qualify for this option.
Skill Matching
The Skill Matching category of visa has been designed to help overcome skill shortages in various areas of Australia.
The applicant must satisfy basic requirements for skill and age, however only require a functional level of English language and a lesser recent work experience requirement (6 months out of 12 months before application). The Skill Matching Visa is also not points tested.
You should consider this category if you are not certain or it is unlikely you will pass the points test.
Applicant’s details are placed into a skill matching database which is made available to State and Territory Governments and employers who may then nominate an applicant for migration. The applicant’s details are held in the database for a period of up to 2 years. If a State or Territory Government wishes to nominate an applicant out of the database, the application may be processed under the State and Territory Nominated Independent (STNI) category. If nominated by an employer, the applicant may be eligible for an Australian visa through the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme.
