The Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485) visa allows for the entry of recent international graduates to Australia for the purpose of living, studying or working in Australia on a temporary basis.

Highlights

• You must be in Australia to lodge a valid visa application.
• This visa allows you to work, study and live in Australia.
• There are 2 different visa streams: Graduate Work and Post-study Work.
• This is a Temporary visa and allows you to stay in Australia temporary.
• The different visa streams determine the length of your visa.

Key Eligibility requirements – Common criteria to all streams

• You must hold or have held an eligible student visa in the last 6 months.
• You must demonstrate your English proficiency by achieving an overall score of at least 6 with a minimum score of 5 for each of the 4 components on the IELTS test. (Alternative tests can be used including OET, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, CAE). Holders of specified types of passports are exempt from this requirement.
• You must have adequate arrangements for health insurance.
• You must satisfy certain Public Interest criteria and Special Return criteria.
• You must meet health and character requirements including having applied for an Australian Federal Police check in the last 12 months.
• You must satisfy specific criteria relating to the visa stream you are applying for.

Key Eligibility requirements – Graduate Work stream

• You must have a skilled occupation on the relevant Medium and Long Term Strategic Skilled List (MLTSSL).
• You must satisfy the Australian Study requirement within the last 6 months.
• Your qualifications must be closely related to your nominated occupation.
• You must have a positive skills assessment from the relevant skills assessing authority in relation to your nominated occupation.

Key Eligibility requirements – Post-Study Work stream

• You must hold or have held a relevant student visa which application was made on or after 5 November 2011. This visa must have been your first student visa.
• You must hold a Bachelor Degree, Bachelor (Honours) Degree, Masters by Coursework Degree, Masters by Research Degree, Masters (Extended) Degree or a Doctoral Degree.
• Your qualifications were awarded by an institution registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students.
• You must satisfy the Australian Study requirement within the last 6 months.

The Skilled Independent (Subclass 189) visa is a permanent resident visa for points-tested skilled workers who want to work and live in Australia.

Highlights

• You may be in or outside Australia to lodge a valid visa application.
• This visa allows you to work, study and live in Australia.
• There are 2 different visa streams: Points-tested and New Zealand.
• This is a Permanent resident visa and allows you to stay in Australia indefinitely.

Key Eligibility requirements – Points-tested stream

• You must be under 45 years of age.
• You must have a skilled occupation on the relevant Medium and Long Term Strategic Skilled List (MLTSSL).
• You must be able to demonstrate ‘Competent English’.
• You must have a positive skills assessment from the relevant skills assessing authority in relation to your nominated occupation.
• You must obtain the minimum score on the Points Test at the time of invitation to apply for the visa.
• You must obtain an invitation to apply for the visa. To be invited you will need to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect and meet the required points test on a competitive basis.
• You must satisfy certain Public Interest criteria and Special Return criteria.
• You must meet health and character requirements.

Key Eligibility requirements – New Zealand stream

• You must hold a Subclass 444 (Special Category) visa.
• You must have been a usual resident in Australia for a continuous period of at least 5 years immediately before the date of the application. This continuous period of usual residence must have started on or before 19 February 2016.
• Unless you are exempt, you must demonstrate that for the 4 most recently completed income years, your taxable income is not less than the minimum amount prescribed by the Minister.
• You must satisfy certain Public Interest criteria and Special Return criteria.
• You must meet health and character requirements.

The Skilled Nominated (Subclass 190) visa is a permanent resident visa for points-tested skilled workers who have received State or Territory government nomination and want to work and live in Australia.

Highlights

• You may be in or outside Australia to lodge a valid visa application.
• This visa allows you to work, study and live in Australia.
• This is a Permanent resident visa and allows you to stay in Australia indefinitely.

Key Eligibility requirements

• You must be under 45 years of age.
• You must have a skilled occupation on the relevant State/Territory skilled occupation list.
• You must be able to demonstrate ‘Competent English’.
• You must have a positive skills assessment from the relevant skills assessing authority in relation to your nominated occupation.
• You must obtain the minimum score on the Points Test at the time of invitation to apply for the visa.
• You must be nominated by an Australian State or Territory agency.
• You must obtain an invitation to apply for the visa. To be invited you will need to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect and meet the required points test on a competitive basis.
• You must satisfy certain Public Interest criteria and Special Return criteria.
• You must meet health and character requirements.

The purpose of the Skilled Regional (Residence) Subclass 887 visa is to enable provisional General Skilled Migration visa holders to apply for permanent residency. This visa is a permanent visa pathway from the Skilled Regional (provisional) Subclass 489 visa.

Highlights

• You must be in Australia to lodge a valid visa application.
• This visa allows you to work, study and live in Australia.
• This is a Permanent resident visa and allows you to stay in Australia indefinitely.

Key Eligibility requirements

• You must be the holder of a prescribed visa.
• You must have held a prescribed visa for a total of at least 2 years before making the application.
• You must have lived in a specified regional area for a total of at least 2 years while holding a prescribed visa.
• You must have worked full-time in a specified regional area for a total of at least 1 year as the holder of a prescribed visa.
• You must satisfy certain Public Interest criteria and Special Return criteria.

The Skilled Work Regional (provisional) (Subclass 491) visa is a provisional visa for intending migrants who are interested in either State or Territory government regional nomination or have a family member in regional Australia who can sponsor them.

Highlights

• You may be in or outside Australia to lodge a valid visa application.
• This visa allows you to work, study and live in Australia.
• This is a provisional visa and allows you to stay in Australia for up to 5 years. After 3 years on this visa you may be eligible to meet the requirements for a permanent Subclass 191 visa (coming into effect on 16 November 2022).

Key Eligibility requirements

• You must be under 45 years of age.
• You must have a skilled occupation on the relevant skilled occupation list.
• You must be able to demonstrate ‘Competent English’.
• You must have a positive skills assessment from the relevant skills assessing authority in relation to your nominated occupation.
• You must obtain the minimum score on the Points Test at the time of invitation to apply for the visa.
• You must be nominated by an Australian State or Territory agency or sponsored by an eligible relative living in a designated area.
• You must obtain an invitation to apply for the visa. To be invited you will have to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect and meet the required points test on a competitive basis.
• You must satisfy certain Public Interest criteria and Special Return criteria.
• You must meet health and character requirements.

The Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa (Subclass 482) is a temporary employer-sponsored visa thus an eligible sponsor is required. The purpose of this visa is to allow Australian employers to nominate highly skilled professionals for temporary visas.

Obtaining a subclass 482 visa is a 3-stage process:

• Sponsorship: The employer must be or have applied for approval as a standard business sponsor.
• Nomination: The employer must lodge a nomination for the applicant or existing holder of a Subclass 482 visa.
• Visa Application: The applicant applies for Subclass 482 visa under a relevant stream.

Highlights

• You may be in or outside Australia to lodge a valid visa application unless, you are lodging your third visa application in the Short-term stream, then you must be offshore.
• This visa allows you to work, study and live in Australia.
• There are 3 different visa streams: Short-term, Medium-term and Labour Agreement
• This is a temporary visa and allows you to stay in Australia for the period proposed and specified in your approved nomination. After three years on this visa certain applicants may be eligible to meet the requirements for permanent residency.

Key Eligibility requirements – Common criteria to all streams

• Your employer must have applied for approval of the nomination of the occupation which your visa application relates.
• Depending on your occupation and nationality you may be required to complete a relevant Skills Assessment.
• Your employer must be an Approved Work Sponsor
• You must have a genuine intention to perform the nominated occupation and the position must also be genuine.
• You must have the skills, qualifications and employment background necessary to perform the tasks of the nominated occupation.
• You must have adequate arrangements for health insurance.
• You must satisfy certain Public Interest criteria and Special Return criteria.
• You must meet health and character requirements.
• You must satisfy specific Nomination Criteria relating to the visa stream you are applying for such as having an occupation on the relevant list of eligible occupations etc.
• You must satisfy specific criteria relating to the visa stream you are applying for.

Key Eligibility requirements – Short-term stream

• You must have worked in the nominated occupation or a related field for at least 2 years.
• You must have a genuine intention to stay in Australia temporarily.
• You must demonstrate your English proficiency by achieving an overall score of at least 5 with a minimum score of 4.5 for each of the 4 components on the IELTS test. (Alternative tests can be used including OET, TOEFL, PTE Academic, CAE). There are prescribed exemptions to this requirement for example if you hold a specified type of passport etc.
• Unless exempt, you must be employed to work in your nominated occupation and in a position in your employer’s business or associated entity.

Key Eligibility requirements – Medium-term stream

• You must have worked in the nominated occupation or a related field for at least 2 years.
• You must demonstrate your English proficiency by achieving an overall score of at least 5 with a minimum score of 5 for each of the 4 components on the IELTS test. (Alternative tests can be used including OET, TOEFL, PTE Academic, CAE). There are prescribed exemptions to this requirement for example if you hold a specified type of passport etc.
• Unless exempt, you must be employed to work in your nominated occupation and in a position in your employer’s business or associated entity.

Key Eligibility requirements – Labour Agreement stream

• Your nominated occupation must be the subject of a work agreement between the Commonwealth and your employer (sponsor).
• You must have worked in the nominated occupation or a related field for at least 2 years unless otherwise considered by the Minister.
• You must have suitable English proficiency to perform the tasks of your nominated occupation.

Criteria and requirements relevant to Approval of nominated positions or Approval as a Standard Business Sponsor have NOT been included in the above summary. An approved sponsor and nomination are required for this visa.

The Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) (Subclass 186) visa is a permanent employer-sponsored visa. The purpose of this visa is to allow Australian employers to nominate highly skilled professionals for permanent visas.

Obtaining a subclass 186 visa is a 2-stage process:

• Nomination: The employer must lodge a nomination that specifies the details of the position and identifies the nominee.
• Visa Application: The applicant applies for Subclass 186 visa under a relevant stream.

Highlights

• You may be in or outside Australia to lodge a valid visa application.
• This visa allows you to work, study and live in Australia.
• There are 3 different visa streams: Temporary Residence Transition (TRT), Direct Entry and Labour Agreement.
• This is a Permanent resident visa and allows you to stay in Australia indefinitely.
• You are expected to work for your nominating employer in Australia for at least 2 years.

Key Eligibility requirements – Common criteria to all streams

• Your employer must have applied for approval of the nomination of the position which your visa application relates.
• If it is mandatory in the State or Territory where your position is located, you must hold or be eligible to apply for and hold a relevant licence, registration or professional membership.
• You must satisfy certain Public Interest criteria and Special Return criteria.
• You must meet health and character requirements.
• You must satisfy specific Nomination Criteria relating to the visa stream you are applying for such as being or have been the holder of a specific subclass visa for a specific period, having an occupation on the relevant list of eligible occupations or having been employed in your nominated occupation for a minimum period etc.
• You must satisfy specific criteria relating to the visa stream you are applying for.

Key Eligibility requirements – Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream

• You must be under 45 years of age (prescribed applicants may be eligible for exemption).
• You must be able to demonstrate ‘Competent English’ (prescribed applicants may be eligible for exemption).
• Your position was nominated in an application for approval and in relation to the TRT stream. This nomination must have been approved by the Minister.
• If required by the Minister, you must demonstrate that you have the necessary skills to perform the tasks of the occupation to which your nominated position relates.

Key Eligibility requirements – Direct Entry stream

• You must be under 45 years of age (prescribed applicants may be eligible for exemption).
• You must be able to demonstrate ‘Competent English’ (prescribed applicants may be eligible for exemption).
• Your position was nominated in an application for approval and in relation to the Direct Entry stream. This nomination must have been approved by the Minister.
• You must have a positive skills assessment from the relevant skills assessing authority in relation to your nominated occupation (prescribed applicants may be eligible for exemption).
• You must have been employed in your nominated occupation for at least 3 years (prescribed applicants may be eligible for exemption).

Key Eligibility requirements – Labour Agreement stream

• You must be under 45 years of age unless otherwise agreed with the Minister.
• Your position was nominated in an application for approval and in relation to the Labour Agreement stream. This nomination must have been approved by the Minister.
• You must have suitable qualifications, experience, skills and English proficiency to perform the tasks of the occupation to which your nominated position relates
• You must have been employed in your nominated occupation for at least 3 years unless otherwise considered by the Minister.

Criteria and requirements relevant to Approval of nominated positions have NOT been included in the above summary. An approved nomination is required for this visa.

The Skilled Employer Regional Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (Subclass 494) visa is a provisional employer-sponsored visa. The purpose of this visa is to allow businesses which are actively and lawfully operating in Regional Australia to nominate highly skilled professionals for provisional visas.

Obtaining a subclass 494 visa is a 3-stage process:

• Sponsorship: The employer must be or have applied for approval of sponsorship.
• Nomination: The employer must lodge a nomination that specifies the details of the position and identifies the nominee.
• Visa Application: The applicant applies for Subclass 494 visa under a relevant stream.

Highlights

• You may be in or outside Australia to lodge a valid visa application.
• This visa allows you to work, study and live in regional Australia.
• There are 2 different visa streams: Employer Sponsor and Labour Agreement.
• This is a provisional visa and allows you to stay in Australia for up to 5 years. After 3 years on this visa you may be eligible to meet the requirements for a permanent Subclass 191 visa (coming into effect on 16 November 2022).

Key Eligibility requirements – Common criteria to all streams

• The nomination lodged by your employer must have been approved.
• Your employer must be an Approved Work Sponsor.
• You must have a genuine intention to perform your nominated occupation.
• The position associated with the nomination must be genuine.
• You must satisfy certain Public Interest criteria and Special Return criteria.
• You must meet health and character requirements.
• You must satisfy all Nomination Criteria including specific criteria to the stream you are applying for such as: having an occupation on the relevant list of eligible occupations, having an associated position in a designated regional area or having received a positive assessment from a relevant Regional Certifying Body (RCB) etc.
• You must satisfy specific criteria relating to the visa stream you are applying for.

Key Eligibility requirements – Employer Sponsor stream

• You must satisfy relevant Health requirements.
• Unless exempt, you are employed to work in the nominated occupation and in a position for your employer (sponsor).
• You must be under 45 years of age (prescribed applicants may be eligible for exemption).
• Unless exempt, you may need to provide a positive Skills Assessment from the relevant skills assessing authority in relation to your nominated occupation.
• Unless exempt, you must have been employed in your nominated occupation for at least 3 years.
• You must be able to demonstrate ‘Competent English’ (prescribed applicants may be eligible for exemption).

Key Eligibility requirements – Labour Agreement stream

• You must satisfy relevant Health requirements.
• Your nominated occupation must be the subject of a work agreement between the Commonwealth and your sponsor.
• You must be under 45 years of age unless otherwise agreed with the Minister.
• You must have suitable qualifications, experience, skills and English proficiency to perform the tasks of the occupation to which your nominated position relates
• You must have been employed in your nominated occupation for at least 3 years unless otherwise considered by the Minister.

Criteria and requirements relevant to Approval of nominated positions, Approval as a Standard Business Sponsor or Regional Certifying Body (RCB) approval have NOT been included in the above summary. An approved sponsorship, nomination and RCB are required for this visa.

Other Working and Skilled visas include:

• Business Innovation and Investment (permanent) visa (subclass 888)
• Business Innovation and Investment (provisional) visa (subclass 188)
• Business Owner (subclass 890)
• Business Talent (Permanent) visa (subclass 132)
• Distinguished Talent visa (subclass 124)
• Distinguished Talent visa (subclass 858)
• Investor visa (subclass 891)
• Skilled-Recognised Graduate visa (subclass 476)
• State or Territory Sponsored Business Owner visa (subclass 892)
• State or Territory Sponsored Investor visa (subclass 893)
• Temporary Activity visa (subclass 408)
• Temporary Work (International Relations) visa (subclass 403)
• Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visa (subclass 400)

If you are interested on applying to any of the above visas or would like comprehensive information and professional immigration advice, please contact us.