Working & Skilled Visas

The three main categories of Skilled visa are

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• Skilled Independent. This is appropriate if you do not have a company or State government to sponsor you. You will need to be highly skilled with appropriate education, skills and employability that will contribute to the Australian economy.

• Employer or State Nominated. You will need to be nominated by an Australian employer or State or Territory government and have your occupation on the list of eligible skilled occupations.

• Regional Sponsored. Under this visa you would be nominated by an Australian employer or State or Territory government but work in regional Australia. These visas are not points tested and are easier to obtain.

Basic Requirements

Basic requirements, which you must satisfy to apply for a Skilled visa, are:

• Your occupation must be on the Skilled Occupations list

• Your skills will have to be assessed by a relevant Australian assessing authority as being suitable for your nominated occupation.

• You need to have had recent and appropriate work experience.

• You must be under 45 years of age when you apply.

• Your English ability must be adequate to enable you to work in Australia.

• You do not have a criminal record.

• You must have university or trade qualifications or - for a small number of occupations - have substantial relevant work experience.

Points Test

You may have to pass a points test if you apply to migrate to Australia under the Skilled Independent or Employer Nominated visa categories and your sponsor is not going to be employing you in a regional area of Australia.

See the Department of Home Affairs’ Points Calculator (click here) to see if you meet the points requirements. A minimum of 65 points are required, with points awarded for:

• Your skills: The occupation you nominate and for which you are skilled and qualified must be on the Skilled Occupations List at the time you apply.

• Your age: You need to be between 18 and 45 years of age at the time you apply for a Skilled Migration Visa.

• Your English language ability: It helps if you have a reasonable command of English.

• Any specific work experience you have: You will gain points if you have worked in your area of expertise or a related area for 3 or 4 years before you apply for a Skilled visa.

• Whether your occupation is in demand: You gain points if your occupation is on the Occupations in Demand list, and you obtain additional points if you have been offered a job in the area.

• Your Australian qualifications: You may obtain points if you have spent 12 months or more studying at an Australian educational institution and as a result have completed a suitable degree, diploma or trade qualification.

• The skills of your partner: If your partner has appropriate skills and work experience then you will gain additional points.

• Your relationship to your sponsor, where applicable.

You may also gain bonus points if you have recent and appropriate Australian work experience, if you are fluent in one of Australia's community languages, and if you have at least $AUD100,000 invested in Australia.