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SKILLED VISA
The Skilled-Independent visa (subclass 189) is a permanent residence visa for points-tested skilled workers who want to work and live in Australia.
To be able to apply for this visa you need to submit an expression of interest and then be invited through SkillSelect to apply.
You can be in or outside Australia when you apply and when the visa is granted.
What this visa lets you do
This is a permanent residence visa. It lets you and any family members who have also been granted this visa:
- stay in Australia indefinitely
- work and study in Australia
- enrol in Medicare, Australia's scheme for health-related care and expenses
- apply for Australian citizenship (if you are eligible)
- sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
- travel to and from Australia for five years from the date the visa is granted (after that time, you will need a resident return visa or another visa to return to Australia).
Before you apply
To be able to apply for this visa, you must first submit an expression of interest and then be invited through SkillSelect. If you receive an invitation, you will have 60 days to apply online for the visa. During that time, you cannot change the information in your expression of interest.
To submit a complete expression of interest, you must have competent English language skills and a positive skills assessment for your nominated occupation (or Job Ready program, if applicable).
Your visa application is likely to require extensive supporting documents, as listed in the document checklist. Start compiling your documents early in the process, even before you submit your expression of interest.
Your passport
You need a valid passport or other travel document for this visa. If you plan to get a new passport, you should do so before applying for your visa. If you get a new passport after you have lodged your application, give the details of your new passport to one of our offices.
You might be able to update your passport details using ImmiAccount.
Cost
Contact us for a visa application fee & charges
Second instalment
You must pay a second instalment for each family member included in your application who:
- is aged 18 years or older
- has less than functional English.
The charge must be paid before a visa can be granted.
How can I prove I have functional English explains how you can demonstrate your language ability.
Other costs
You might have to pay other costs, such as the costs of health assessments, police certificates, or any other certificates or tests. You are responsible for making the necessary arrangements.
The Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) is a permanent residence visa for points-test skilled workers who want to work and live in Australia after being nominated by an Australian state or territory government agency.
To be able to apply for this visa you need to submit an expression of interest and then be invited through SkillSelect to apply.
You can be in or outside Australia when you apply and when the visa is granted.
What this visa lets you do
This is a permanent residence visa. It lets you and any family members who have also been granted this visa:
- stay in Australia indefinitely
- work and study in Australia
- enrol in Medicare, Australia's scheme for health-related care and expenses
- apply for Australian citizenship (if you are eligible)
- sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
- travel to and from Australia for five years from the date the visa is granted (after that time, you will need a resident return visa or another visa to return to Australia).
Before you apply
To be able to apply for this visa, you must first submit an expression of interest and then be invited through SkillSelect. If you receive an invitation, you will have 60 days to apply online for the visa. During that time, you cannot change the information in your expression of interest.
When you have submitted your expression of interest, a state or territory government can examine it and decide whether to nominate you to apply for a visa. State and territory authorities have their own criteria for deciding who to nominate. Each state or territory government agency have different processes for nominating expressions of interests, some will contact you first and others may wait for you to contact them. You will be able to find more information on their websites.
Your visa application is likely to require extensive supporting documents, as listed in the document checklist. Start compiling your documents early in the process, even before you lodge your expression of interest.
Your passport
You need a valid passport or other travel document for this visa. If you plan to get a new passport, you should do so before applying for your visa. If you get a new passport after you have lodged your application, give the details of your new passport to one of our offices
You might be able to update your passport details using ImmiAccount.
Nomination by a state or territory government
State and territory government agencies can view your expression of interest in SkillSelect and decide whether to nominate you for a visa. Each state or territory has a list of occupations that guides the types of skills they are looking for.
In your expression of interest, you can indicate your interest in just one state or territory, or you can choose to be available to all of them. If you accept a nomination, the states and territories may require you to:
- live in the nominating state or territory for a specified minimum time
- tell the state or territory your address, both before and after you arrive in Australia
- be prepared to complete surveys and providing other post-arrival information they ask for
- meet any of their other requirements.
Each state or territory government agency has its own process for nominating expressions of interest. Some agencies contact people directly and others wait for people to contact them. You can find more information on their websites.
Cost
Contact us for a visa application fee & charges
Second instalment
You must pay a second instalment for each family member included in your application who:
- is aged 18 years or older
- has less than functional English.
The charge must be paid before a visa can be granted.
How can I prove I have functional English explains how you can demonstrate your language ability.
Other costs
You might have to pay other costs, such as the costs of health assessments, police certificates, or any other certificates or tests. You are responsible for making the necessary arrangements.
The Skilled-Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489) is for skilled workers and their families to live, work and study in specified regional areas in Australia for four years.
There are two pathways for this visa:
- the Invited Pathway
- the Extended Stay Pathway – you must hold a provisional visa in subclass 475, 487, 495 or 496.
For family members who are included in your visa application (in either visa pathways), they must be a family member of someone who already holds this visa (subclass 489) or a provisional visa in subclass 475, 487, 495 or 496.
You might be eligible to apply for this visa if invited and you are either:
- nominated by an Australian State or Territory government agency, or
- sponsored by an eligible relative living in a Designated area of Australia.
When we sent your letter of invitation, you must also have:
- been nominated by an Australian State or Territory government agency or sponsored by an eligible relative living in a designated area
- nominated an occupation that is on the relevant skilled occupation list
- suitable skills assessment for that occupation,
- not yet turned 50 years of age
- achieved the score specified in your letter of invitation based on the factors in the points test
- at least competent English.
Your invitation is based on the claims made in your expression of interest. Your application must achieve at least the score specified in your invitation to apply when assessed against the points test.
Extended Stay Pathway
You might be eligible to apply for the Extended Stay Pathway if you are the skilled worker who has held one of the following visas and complied with all visa conditions, for at least two years before applying for this visa:
- provisional Skilled—Independent Regional visa (subclass 495)
- provisional Skilled—Designated Area Sponsored Provisional visa (subclass 496)
- provisional Skilled—Regional Sponsored visa (subclass 475)
- provisional Skilled—Regional Sponsored visa (subclass 487).
You must have never held more than one of the above visas.
What this visa lets you do
This visa allows you and your family to:
- stay in Australia for up to four years
- live, work and study in a specified regional area of Australia
- travel in and out of Australia while the visa is valid.
This visa provides a pathway to permanent residence through the Skilled-Regional (Residence) visa (subclass 887).
Before you apply
To be able to apply for this visa, you must first submit an expression of interest and then be invited through SkillSelect. If you receive an invitation, you will have 60 days to apply online for the visa. During that time, you cannot change the information in your expression of interest.
To submit a complete expression of interest, you must have competent English language skills and a positive skills assessment for your nominated occupation (or Job Ready program, if applicable).
Your visa application is likely to require extensive supporting documents, as listed in the document checklist. Start compiling your documents early in the process, even before you submit your expression of interest.
Your passport
If you are younger than 18 and want to change your welfare arrangements, you must:
- have written approval from either your parents, legal guardian or education provider
- inform us within seven days if your welfare arrangements change after this visa is granted.
If your welfare provider changes from your education provider to a relative, you must complete:
- You might be able to update your passport details using ImmiAccount.
Cost
Contact us for a visa application fee & charges
You must pay a second instalment of the visa application charge for each applicant who:
- is aged 18 years or older at the time of application
- is assessed as not having functional English and
- has not paid for a second instalment of the visa application charge in relation to an application for a subclass 495, 496, 475 or 487 visa.
The charge must be paid before a visa can be granted.How can I prove I have functional English explains how you can demonstrate your language ability.
Other costs
While you are in Australia, you must be able to support yourself and your family members who come with you to Australia. You might be asked to provide evidence of funds, such as an employment contract, bank statements or a letter from your financial institution stating your financial position. Allowances, accommodation and other assistance from your employer can also be considered when looking at your ability to support yourself.
The Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) lets you live, study and work in Australia temporarily after you have finished your studies. Students are only able to access the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) once as a primary applicant.
This visa has two streams:
- Graduate Work stream – for international students with an eligible qualification who graduate with skills and qualifications that relate to an occupation on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL). A visa in this stream is granted for 18 months from the date of grant.
- Post-Study Work stream – for international students who graduate with a higher education degree from an Australian education provider, regardless of their field of study. This stream is only available to students who applied for, and were granted, their first student visa to Australia on or after 5 November 2011. A visa in this stream can be granted for up to four years from the date the visa is granted, depending on the visa applicant's qualification.
If you are applying as the main applicant, you and anybody else covered by the application must be in Australia when you apply for this visa and when your visa is decided.
Family members who apply for this visa after the main applicant has been granted the visa may be in or outside Australia when they apply, but must not be in immigration clearance.
What this visa lets you do
This visa allows you and your family to stay in Australia temporarily after you have finished your studies. While in Australia, you can:
- travel
- work
- study.
It is important to note that it is your responsibility to seek your own employment. The Australian government is not responsible for arranging employment.
There are many organisations that provide information to job seekers, including through the Australian government's JobSearch website.
Before you apply
There is information that you will need to organise before you apply for this visa. More details about the information that is needed before you apply is located under who is eligible for this visa.
If you have a 'No further stay' condition (8534 or 8503) attached to your visa, you can apply for this visa using paper Form 1409 , which includes an application to have the 'No further stay' condition waived.
Your passport
You need a valid passport or other travel document for this visa. If you plan to get a new passport, you should do so before applying for your visa. If you get a new passport after you have lodged your application, give the details of your new passport to one of our offices.
You might be able to update your passport details using ImmiAccount.
Cost
Contact us for a visa application fee & charges
Note: The Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485) visa is exempt from the 'Subsequent Temporary Application Charge'.
You might need to pay other costs, such as the costs of health assessments and police certificates, or any other certificates or tests. You are responsible for making the necessary arrangements.
The Skilled — Recognised Graduate visa (subclass 476) allows recent engineering graduates of eligible universities to gain up to 18 months of skilled work experience in occupations. It is a temporary visa.
You may be inside or outside Australia when you apply for this visa however you must be outside of Australia when the visa is decided, unless you are a New Zealand citizen who holds a Special Category visa (subclass 444). A New Zealand citizen who holds a Special Category visa (subclass 444) can be in or outside Australia when the visa is decided.
What this visa lets you do
This visa allows you and your family stay in Australia for up to 18 months. While in Australia, you can:
- travel
- work
- enrol in further professional studies
- study to improve your English skills.
Before you apply
If you have a ‘No further stay’ condition on your visa, you cannot apply for a new visa while you are in Australia, except in extremely limited circumstances. You must leave Australia no later than the date on which your visa ends.
Your passport
If you plan to get a new passport, you should do so before applying for your visa. In most cases, you and your family members must have valid passports to be granted this visa.
You might be able to update your passport details using ImmiAccount.
Cost
Contact us for a visa application fee & charges
Other costs
You might have to pay other costs, such as the costs of health assessments, police certificates, or any other certificates or tests. You are responsible for making the necessary arrangements.
Requirements
You might be able to get this visa if you:
- are younger than 31 years of age
- have completed an engineering degree at a recognised institution in the past two years.
The Skilled Regional visa (subclass 887) is for people who have an eligible visa and have lived for at least two years and worked for at least one year in a specified regional area. You must be in Australia when you apply for this visa and when the visa is granted.
What this visa lets you do
This is a permanent residence visa. It lets you and any family members who have also been granted this visa:
- stay in Australia indefinitely
- work and study in Australia
- enrol in Medicare, Australia's scheme for health-related care and expenses
- apply for Australian citizenship (if you are eligible)
- sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
- travel to and from Australia for five years from the date the visa is granted (after that time, you will need a resident return visa or another visa to return to Australia).
Before you apply
Have you told us about a newborn baby or other changes to your circumstances?
Tell us if your circumstances change while you are in Australia. In particular, if you have a baby while you are in Australia, you need to tell us so we can add the child to our records. The child will be given the same visa as you, but they will not appear in e-visa until you tell us about the child.
You can tell us about your child, or any other change in circumstances, using:
Your passportt
You need a valid passport or other travel document for this visa. If you plan to get a new passport, you should do so before applying for your visa. If you get a new passport after you have lodged your application, give the details of your new passport to one of our offices.
You might be able to update your passport details using ImmiAccount.
Cost
Contact us for a visa application fee & charges
Second instalment
You must pay a second instalment of the visa application charge for each applicant who:
- is aged 18 years or older at the time of application
- is assessed as not having functional English
- has not paid for a second instalment of the visa application charge in relation to an application for subclass 489, 475, 487, 495 and 496 visas.
We will tell you when to pay the second instalment. You must pay it before the visa can be granted.
How can I prove I have functional English? explains how you can demonstrate your language ability.
Other costs
You might have to pay other costs, such as the costs of health assessments, police certificates, or any other certificates or tests. You are responsible for making the necessary arrangements.