AUSTRALIAN IMMIGRATION FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
You can become a permanent resident of Australia by applying for and being granted a permanent visa that allows you to remain in Australia indefinitely.
The Australian immigration processing time for the high priority visa categories is usually between 3 to 6 months..
The requirements for an Australia skilled visa include:
- Proof of Age
- English language proficiency (IELTS)
- Nominated occupation on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) or Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL).
- Skills, Health and character assessment by Australian government.
The Medium and Long-term strategic skills List (MLTSSL) includes a set of skilled occupations determined by the Department of Education and Training (DET) and the Department of Home Affairs (formerly DIBP).
The Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) includes a set of skilled occupations determined by the Department of Employment (DoE) and the Department of Home Affairs.
Ans: The General Skilled Migration Program also known as Skill-select is a points-based migration system aimed at skilled workers in particular occupations willing to migrate to Australia to improve Australia’s workforce.
The system has 3 main visa subclasses, and is points based. Applicants must meet at least 65 points from the General Skilled Migration points table to be considered. They include: Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189) Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) Skilled Regional visas (Subclass 489)
Skilled independent visa is a points-tested permanent visa for skilled workers who are not sponsored by an Australian employer, family member or nominated by a state or territory. Applicants must obtain a minimum of 65 points on the point assessment to be eligible to apply for the Skilled Independent visa (Subclass 189). You may be eligible to apply for the visa if your occupation is on the medium- and long-term strategic skills list (MLTSSL)
The Skilled Nominated Visa is a points-tested permanent visa for skilled workers who are nominated by an Australian State or Territory government. Applicants must obtain a minimum of 65 points on a point’s assessment to be eligible to apply for a Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190) and must be nominated by a participating State or Territory government in Australia. You may be eligible to apply for the visa if your occupation is on the medium- and long-term strategic skills list (MLTSSL) or short term skilled occupation list (STSOL)
The Skilled Regional Visa is designed to encourage skilled workers to live and work in specified regional parts of Australia for up to four years. Applicants must be sponsored by an Australian relative who is living in a designated area, or by a State or Territory government. You may be eligible to apply for the visa if your occupation is on the medium and long term strategic skills list (MLTSSL) or short term skilled occupation list (STSOL).
In order to qualify for skilled migration to Australia, you must nominate an occupation from the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL). However, if you are applying for skilled migration via nomination by a State or Territory Government; you have the option of nominating an occupation from the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL).
An Expression of Interest (EOI) is not a visa application. When you submit an EOI you are indicating that you would like to be considered for a skilled visa. Your EOI will be stored in Skill-Select and is valid for two years.
You can update your EOI at any time before you receive an invitation to apply for the visa. You will not be able to change or update your EOI once you receive an invitation.
There are no limitations on how many EOI you can submit. However, if you receive an invitation you must be able to provide supporting evidence and demonstrate all the claims you have made to achieve your points score.
There is no guarantee that you will be invited to apply for any of the General Skilled Migration visas even if you score the minimum 65 or higher points. Because invitations are issued automatically by the Skill-select system to the highest ranking EOIs, subject to occupation ceilings, it is in your best interest to obtain high Migration points as possible. Invitations are issued on a monthly basis.
When you receive an invitation, you will have 60 days to lodge your online visa application. If you do not lodge your visa application within this 60-day period, your invitation will expire, and you will then have to wait for the department to invite you again. Please note that there is no guarantee that you will receive another invitation.
State Migration Plans (SMP) are formal agreements between State and Territory Governments and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). The State Migration Plan enables the State Government to identify, target and sponsor the skills in demand in their particular State and specifies the types and the numbers of occupations available for nominating skilled visa applicants.
The following States/Territories participating in the state migration plan (SMP) include:
- New South Wales
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Victoria
- Western Australia
- Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
- Consultation Assessment -N30,000
- Creation of profile -N150,000
- IELTS (Exams & Classes)- N150,000
- Invitation to apply guidance – N150,000