Working Visa Options for Temporary or Permanent Residency

Working Visas for Skilled People

Australia’s general skilled migration program targets people who are highly skilled, are under 45 years of age, have a high level of English language ability and who will quickly make a contribution to the Australian economy.

You must have post-secondary (such as university or trade) qualifications (in a small number of occupations, substantial relevant work experience may be acceptable). Your nominated occupation must also be on the Australian Department of Immigration’s current Skilled Occupations List (SOL).

Skilled Working Visas Requiring Employer Sponsorship

The following visas are available to skilled people who have a job offer in an occupation listed on the Australian Department of Immigration’s Skilled Occupations List (SOL):

Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa (subclass 186) – Permanent Residency

• The Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) has been developed for Australian employers to recruit permanent, highly-skilled staff from overseas or from people temporarily in Australia, when the employers have been unable to fill a vacancy from within the Australian labour market or through their own training programs.
• An alternative steam is available if your employer is a party to a Labour Agreement. A Labour Agreement enable Australian employers to recruit (either permanently or temporarily) a specified number of workers from overseas in response to identified or emerging labour market (or skill) shortages in the Australian labour market.

Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) visa (subclass 187) – Permanent Residency

• The Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) is designed to help employers in regional or low population growth areas of Australia, who are unable to fill skilled vacancies from the Australian labour market.

Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (subclass 482) – Temporary Entry – Stay up to 4 years

• The Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa allows employers to sponsor overseas workers to live and work in Australia on a temporary basis. This visa is designed to assist employers who are unable to meet their skilled Australian workforce needs from the local labour market. It is valid for a maximum of either two or four years, depending upon the nature of the skilled position.
• NOTE: Different criteria apply to the Labour Agreement stream of this visa. Please contact us for further details regarding this stream.

If you do not have an occupation listed on the Skilled Occupations List (SOL), you may still be eligible for the following visas:

Training visa (subclass 407) – Temporary Entry – Stay up to 2 years

• This visa allows you to take part in workplace-based occupational training activities to improve your skills for your job, area of tertiary study, field of expertise or in a professional development training program in Australia.

Skilled Working Visas That Do Not Require An Employer

There are a number of visas available to skilled people who have an occupation listed on the Australian Department of Immigration’s Skilled Occupations List (SOL) without first needing an employer that offer either temporary or permanent residency.

If you do not have a ‘skilled occupation’, there is an alternative working holiday visa program for young people which may be suitable.

Please contact us to find out more about these visa options.

Permanent Residency for business owners, investors and senior executives

The Business Skills visa class of Australia’s migration program encourages successful business people to settle permanently in Australia and develop new or existing businesses.

Business owners, senior executives and investors can apply for a visa under the Business Skills category.

This is a two-stage process. In Stage 1, business migrants are granted a Business Skills (Provisional) visa for four years and after establishing the requisite level of business or maintaining their eligible investment, are eligible to make a Stage 2 application for a Business Skills (Residence) visa which offers permanent residency.

Family Visa Options for Permanent Residency

Spouse / Partner

Partner visas (subclasses 820 and 801) allow the partner or spouse of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen to live in Australia. You must be married or in a de facto relationship with:

• an Australian citizen
• an Australian permanent resident
• an eligible New Zealand citizen.

Your marriage must be valid under Australian law. This means you must have parental permission if you are 16 or 17 years of age.

You must have been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months.

Family Reunion

This popular Australian migration program allows family members of Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens to become permanent residents of Australia.

• Parent
• Child and Aged Relatives
• Remaining Relatives
• Orphan
• Carers

Options for Temporary Residency

There are numerous types of temporary and provisional visas. They include, but are not limited to:

• Bridging visas
• Business skills (provisional) visas
• Medical Treatment
• Student visas (can lead to permanent residency)
• Temporary Visas for Employment or Related Purposes
• Temporary Refugee & Humanitarian Visas
• Visitor
• Working Holiday
• Miscellaneous Temporary

*In order to qualify for the free visa assessment, you must answer all questions in the online form. We ask this as we require all information in order to be able to assess you properly.

Not sure which visa is right for you? Get a free visa assessment.

© ROCHE Legal Pty Ltd (ACN 610 545 303).
All Rights Reserved.