The offshore Australian Immigration Skilled Migration Program enables people to migrate to Australia based on their skills and experience gained overseas. The main offshore skilled migration visas for Australian immigration are as follows:
Permanent Australian Immigration Skilled Visas
Temporary Australian Immigration Skilled Visa
Skilled Migration makes up a large portion of the places available for Australian immigration in the current 2010/2011 program year with the highest source country being the Residents from the UK migrating to Australia.
General Criteria for Australian Immigration Skilled Visas from Overseas
All offshore Australian Immigration skilled visas have the following common criteria:
- Age (under 45 years)
- Skills Assessment for Nominated Occupation on the relevant Skilled Occupation List
- Recent work experience in a skilled occupation (12 months in the past 24 months)
- English language ability (equivalent to at least 6.0 on all 4 sections of an IELTS test for permanent Skills Visas and overall band score of 6.0 for temporary Skills Visa)
- Meet the pass mark on Points Test
- Health & Character
Differences between Australian Immigration Off-Shore Skills Visas
Skilled Independent (subclass 175) visa
The Skilled Independent (subclass 175) visa is one of the few Australian Immigration visas that do not require a Sponsor. You do not require an employment offer or a family member / Australian State Government to Sponsor your Australian visa application.
Skilled Sponsored (subclass 176) visa
The Skilled Sponsored (subclass 176) visa requires either an eligible family member or an Australian State Government Sponsor for your Australian immigration visa application. The requirements and points allocated are different for Australian visa applicants with a family sponsor compared to an Australian State Government Sponsor. To obtain Australian State Government Sponsorship, Australian visa applicants must meet the particular Australian State Government requirements. The Australian State Government may impose criteria which is separate from and additional to the criteria for the Australian Immigration skills visa.
Subclass 475 Skilled Regional Sponsored Visa
The Subclass 475 Skilled Regional Sponsored visa also requires either a family member or an Australian Government State Sponsor for Australian immigration. However, the family members who are eligible to sponsor for the subclass 475 skilled Australian immigration visa must reside in a specified area in Australia and are extended beyond those family members who are eligible to sponsor for the 176 skilled Australian immigration visa. For example, a first cousin is eligible to sponsor for the subclass 475 skilled Australian immigration visa but is not able to sponsor for a subclass 176 skilled Australian immigration visa.
State Government Sponsors often also require Australian visa applicants to meet different requirements for them to Sponsor for the 475 skilled Australian immigration visa compared to the Subclass 176 skilled Australian immigration visa, including, requirements to reside in particular regional areas within the State.
The key difference between the subclass 176 skilled Australian immigration visa and the subclass 475 skilled Australian immigration visa is that the 475 visa is only a temporary visa valid for 3 years. However, the 475 visa has a direct pathway to Australian immigration via the permanent subclass 887 visa which can be applied for after the visa applicant has resided in the specified area for 2 years and worked full time for 1 year.
The 475 skilled Australian immigration visa is therefore a good alternative to the subclass 176 Australian immigration visa particularly for Australian visa applicants with a family sponsor who are unable to meet the pass mark for the permanent subclass 176 visa. This is because when applying for the 475 skilled Australian immigration visa, applicants are awarded an additional 25 points for having a family sponsor. In contrast, no points are awarded where the Australian visa applicant has a family sponsor when applying for a 176 Australian immigration visa. The 475 skilled Australian immigration visa also has provision for a reduced English Language level where visa applicants are willing to pay an additional English language charge.
Perhaps the most important factor in determining whether a prospective Australian visa applicant should apply for a 175, 176, or 475 visa, is the processing time that typically apply to each of the these visa subclasses. It is important to note that Australian visa applicants sponsored by a State Government for Australian immigration under a State Migration Plan receive the highest priority visa processing within the General Skilled Migration (GSM) Program.
Skills Assessments for Australian Immigration
When applying for a Skilled Australian immigration visa, a skills assessment must be obtained before an Australian visa application can be lodged.
There are different skills assessing authorities approved to assess potential Australian visa applicant’s skills and qualifications for Australian immigration. Each Skills Assessing Authority imposes their own criteria which must be satisfied before they will issue a skills assessment confirming an Australian visa applicants skills are suitable for Australian immigration. These skills assessment criteria are different from the criteria for an Australian visa. For example, the skilled Australian immigration visa criteria requires a minimum English standard of 6 in all 4 sections of the IELTS test while many skills assessing authorities impose a minimum English standard of 7 across all 4 sections of the IELTS test.
Some of the common criteria for a skills assessment include:
- Formal Qualification such as a Bachelor Degree or Trade Qualification
- English Language Test Result
- Specific work experience in your nominated occupation in addition to that required for a skilled Australian Immigration visa
- For some occupations, successful completion of an exam by the Skills Assessing Authority
When applying for an Australian immigration skills visa, it is therefore important to first consider whether based on your particular circumstances you are eligible for a positive skills assessment for Australian immigration purposes.
Without a skills assessment it is not possible to lodge a valid Australian immigration visa application.
If you require assistance with your Australian immigration skills visa application, take our FREE on-line visa eligibility assessment and contact us to get started with your Australian visa application. Haag Walker Australian Immigration Lawyers offer Total Case Management skilled migration services where we prepare and handle the complete application process from beginning to end as well as Premium Skilled Migration services to guide you through the process.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
