The Australian skilled migration program is designed to overcome the shortage of skilled workers in
Australia.
COMPASS AUSTRALIA helps skilled migrants to apply for below four visa categories:
Skilled Independent Migration
Regional Migration
Skill Matching Visa
Family Visa
Under each stream there is a range of visa classes and the key is to select the right class according to your personal situation. COMPASS AUSTRALIA highly recommends its clients to undertake the initial free assessment allowing the Registred Migration Agent to recommend the best strategy.
To help answer some of these basic questions below is a brief introduction to the Australian immigration system for Skilled Professionals.
1. SKILLED INDEPENDENT MIGRATION
The skilled stream is divided into several classes including the Skilled Independent class (the most popular class, sometimes known as the Points-system) and the Skilled Australian-Sponsored class.
To qualify, you or your partner must be:
Under the age of 45 years.
Proficient in English.
In an occupation on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) (a list containing literally hundreds of approved occupations).
Have at least 12 months (24 months for some occupations) of recent work experience.
If you meet the minimum criteria, then you will be subject to a points test and the objective is to claim enough points to achieve the automatic pass-mark. You are granted points for your qualifications, work experience, occupation, age, English language ability, occupation targeting and spouse skills (qualifications, age, work, English).
Additional points are available if you have studied or worked in a skilled occupation in Australia previously, OR if you have AUS$100,000 to invest in Australia, OR if you are fluent and qualified in one of the languages of the countrys major trading partners or ethnic groups.
You or your partner occupation is often the make or break of an application; either you or your partner must have recent work experience in an occupation on the skilled occupation list. Applicants receive additional points if their occupation is listed on the periodically amended Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL).
Qualifications relevant to your occupation are also important; with most degrees and higher trade certifications from recognised tertiary institutes meeting the requirements provided they involve at least three years post-secondary school study. An exception to this rule is made for certain tradespersons, IT professionals, and Senior Managers, who do not possess formal qualifications. These applicants can often qualify by using their relevant work experience to obtain industry certification in Australia, thus satisfying the qualification requirement. Applicants
in occupations requiring professional registration (for example Dentists, Nurses and Physiotherapists) may need to apply for registration or meet specific requirements prior to submitting a residence application.
Additional points are awarded if you have a qualifying family sponsor in Australia (parent, non-dependant child, brother, sister, aunt or uncle, niece or nephew), meaning that you can apply under the Skilled Australian- Sponsored class or the Skilled-Designated Area Sponsored class, depending on the location of your sponsor. No points test applies to the Skilled-Designated Area Sponsored class.
If you fail to meet the pass-mark, but meet the minimum requirements and have a family sponsor and assurer (including first cousins or grandparents) living in a designated area (mainly the areas outside Sydney, Melbourne and other selected cities), you may be able to qualify under the Skilled-Designated Area Sponsored class. This subclass is processed in two stages with a provisional visa issued initially and permanent residence available after the applicant and their family have successfully settled in a designated area in Australia. The applicant must have lived in a designated area for two years and have worked for at least 12 months before being able to apply for the permanent visa. The introduction of the Sydney and Selected Areas Skills Shortage List (SSASSL) has meant that applicants with a family sponsor in Sydney (and certain areas of NSW) must be qualified and experienced in an occupation on the list.
2. REGIONAL MIGRATION
The State Territory Nominated Independent class presents options for those applicants who have an occupation listed as being in demand in a state or territory of
Australia. If you are willing to settle mostly outside the mainland state capitals (except
Adelaide), further opportunities for regional migration are available under the Skilled Independent Regional (SIR) visa. Migrating to
Australia under the SIR visa will involves a two-stage process, whereby successful applicants initially receive a temporary visa valid for three years. Sponsorship by a State or Territory Government is required to obtain the initial visa. SIR visa holders can apply for permanent residence in
Australia after a period of two years residence in regional Australia under the State/Territory Nominated Independent (STNI) on-shore visa.
The newly introduced Temporary Skilled Independent Regional Visa is a good option for applicants who have a slightly lower point score (perhaps due to age) and do not have a family sponsor in
Australia. This visa allows you to settle in a regional area (which currently includes the City of
Adelaide) on a temporary basis with unrestricted permanent residence later granted conditional upon you remaining in that regional area for number of years.
3. SKILL MATCHING VISA
The Skill Matching Visa links skilled migrants with employers or state/territory governments which can nominate the skilled workers for migration. The migrant does not pay any initial fee for a skill matching visa. They only pay the migration application fees if successful nominated by employer or state/territory governments.
The Skill matching database is a free web based tool used by employers and state/government in Australia to address skill shortages. The skill matching scheme enables applicants to enter their details in the skill matching database for period of two years. During this period they may receive nomination to reside in certain region of Australia.
4. FAMILY VISA
This category is for those persons who can be sponsored by a relative or interdependent partner who is either an Australian citizen, a holder of a permanent residence visa or an eligible
New Zealand citizen aged over 18 years of age. If your partner is an Australian, you must be married OR in a stable, de-facto relationship (common-law) or interdependent (same-sex) relationship for 12 months or more to qualify for residence.
You can be sponsored if you are a spouse; fiance; child/adopted child;parent; orphan relative; special need relative; aged dependant relative;or last remaining relative of a qualifying sponsor who is resident in
Australia. Certain conditions apply. Contributory Parent options are available for those parents with sufficient capital to contribute to their future health costs in
Australia. These visas subclasses are designed to overcome the otherwise lengthy waiting period currently facing parents wishing to migrate to Australia,subject to places being available.
COMPASS AUSTRALIA highly recommends its clients to undertake the initial free assessment allowing the Registered Migration Agent to recommend the best strategy.
