How To Obtain A Work Visa In Australia
How to Obtain a Work Visa in Australia
Australia is one of the most beautiful and bio-diverse countries on Earth. This island continent houses eight ecosystems, including deserts, tropical and subtropical regions, temperate forests and grasslands, mountainous regions, and tundra. Not only does it boast 16,000 miles of coastline, the Land Down Under is also home to the world’s largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 reefs and 900 islands stretching over an area of 133,000 square miles. The interior outback and the bush areas surrounding Australia’s bustling modern cities are full of rich history and breathtaking landscapes and natural wonders.
Along with its natural beauty, Australia has a consistently robust economy, accessible high-quality health care and education, and its residents enjoy a high standard of living. Australia’s cities are centers of culture and diversity.
If you have your heart set on creating a life in Australia, be prepared to navigate a labyrinth of work visa categories, each with its own rules and requirements. Australia is a warm and welcoming country, to be sure. But that does not mean you can just hop on a plane intending to pound the pavement for a job.
This article will discuss some of the most common types of Australian work visas and summarize what you will need to do during the application process.
It will take a lot of research and careful planning to make your dreams of relocating to Australia a reality. Relocate can connect you with qualified Australian Immigration Advisors to help you select the right program and navigate the visa application process.
Skilled Work Visas
The Australian government offers over 100 types and categories of visas to visitors and would-be immigrants to Australia. You will find the different visas that apply to workers on the Australian Department of Home Affairs’ Working in Australia website. You can also consult Australia’s skilled occupation list to learn more about which professions are eligible for which types of visas. Each of Australia’s 20 work visas — typically referred to by a subclass number — has its own visa requirements.
Australia employs the SkillSelect program for individuals who want to immigrate to the country under one of its skilled worker visas. Would-be migrants undergo an assessment and are then rated on a points system. Points are awarded for work experience and English language proficiency, among other parameters.
If you reach a high enough level on the assessment — some work visas require a score of 65 — you can move forward with the application process and, sometimes, even be matched with a potential employer who needs someone with your skills.
Australian work visas can be divided into two basic categories: permanent work visas and temporary work visas.
Permanent Work Visas
Workers who want to live in Australia permanently, bring their families along with them, and even eventually apply for Australian citizenship can do so under the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa, subclass 186. There are three types of subclass 186 visa streams:
- Direct Entry Stream: This visa stream allows skilled workers to become permanent residents of Australia as long as they have an Australian employer to nominate them, can show English proficiency, and will be engaged in an occupation that is on Australia’s list of eligible skilled occupations.
- Labour Agreement Stream: If your Australian employer is a current signatory to a labor agreement — meaning the Australian government has agreed that there is a need that cannot be met in the Australian labor market or through other visa programs — you might be eligible to work as a permanent resident of Australia under this stream. You must meet all the Direct Entry Stream criteria and any age, skills, and English language requirements of the relevant labor agreement.
- Temporary Residence Transition Stream: This stream allows foreign workers who are already living and working in Australia under certain other visa schemes to convert to permanent resident worker status after three years of work in the country.
All the subclass 186 visa streams require you to be nominated by an Australian employer, have a good command of English, and meet Australia’s health and character requirements. It can take the better part of a year to obtain a subclass 186, which is why consulting with a qualified Advisor on Relocate can help speed up the process by making sure you meet the visa conditions, and your paperwork is in order.
Temporary and Short Stay Work Visas
There are several types of visas that allow you to live and work in Australia on a temporary or short-term basis. For instance:
- If you have a sponsor, you can work in Australia under the Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482). You must be able to demonstrate English proficiency, be designated as a skilled migrant with approved sponsorship, and possess the requisite skills to do the job.
- If you are a recent graduate of an Australian university, you might be able to stay in the country and work under a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485). Be aware that there are a number of criteria you must meet for this visa, including being under 50 years of age and having held a student visa within the previous six months.
- Young people between 18 and 30 years old who are on holiday in Australia might be eligible to extend their stay in Australia through a subclass 462 Work and Holiday visa. They must have a passport from an eligible country and cannot have any dependent children with them.
- Australia offers a pathway to enter and live in regional Australia via a Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489). If you enter the country under this visa, you might be able to convert your visa to a permanent one after a required waiting period.
How to Get an Australian Work Visa
The best way to begin your quest to enter Australia under a work visa is to determine for which type and subclass of visa you are eligible. You can start with a search of Australia’s extensive list of visa types and then analyze your skill set to determine which types of work visas might suit your situation.
Consider working with Relocate to connect with an Australian work visa expert at this stage. Visa selection is of paramount importance because it will inform each step you take along the way. You do not want to embark on a visa application process that can take up to a year only to find out that you have to withdraw your application — or worse, get turned down — because you did not apply for the visa that best suits your needs and skill set.
The following outlines the general steps to take when applying for an Australian skilled migration visa:
First, you need to determine if a skills assessment is required for your visa subclass and stream. Even if not mandatory, it might be useful to undergo a skills assessment for your occupation. You need to contact the relevant assessing authority to find out its procedures and requirements, as each authority determines its own assessment parameters.
You can search for skills assessment authorities on the Australian government’s website by entering your profession in the search box. If you are not sure which authority covers your profession — for instance, if you search for “accountant,” you get two results: the Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand and the Institute of Public Accountants — you can contact a Relocate Australian Advisor for assistance.
Once you complete, you must provide a scanned certified copy of your assessment with your visa application. Note that a negative assessment prevents you from applying for a skilled migration visa.
You will need to gather a lot of documentation, including:
- Identity documents: This includes making copies of your passport, any national identity cards you possess, and documentation proving any name change or showing any aliases.
- Professional licenses: You must provide evidence of any license, registration, or professional membership required to engage in your occupation. For example, if you are a physician, you must prove proper registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
- Documentation of skills: You are required to present either documents that prove your skills and qualifications or proof that you are exempt from this requirement. Results of your skills assessment, a copy of your CV, and employment references are the types of proof usually provided here.
- **Proof of exemption from age caps, if applicable: If you are 45 years old or older, you will need to prove that you are exempt from age eligibility criteria. Typically, professions like scientists, university lecturers, and workers converting from temporary work visas to permanent will be able to provide the needed documentation for exemption.
- Language competency: You must provide documentation that you speak English. For citizens of English-speaking countries — such as the U.S., U.K., Canada, New Zealand, or Ireland — your passport will suffice. Otherwise, you will need to present specific English language test results from a sanctioned testing provider.
- Proof that you meet health requirements: For those applying for permanent residency, health examinations are required. The examining physician is to provide health documentation directly to the Australian immigration authorities. Where you are from will dictate what tests and health certifications might be required.
- Character documents: You must provide proof from relevant authorities that you do not have a criminal record and, if applicable, that you were honorably discharged from military service. There are strict requirements regarding which authorities are acceptable issuers of this proof.
- Partner and dependent documents: If you plan to bring a spouse or partner or your children with you, you will need to provide documentation establishing the relationships and the eligibility of your family members for entry into the country.
If you have engaged a professional — such as a registered migration agent or an immigration lawyer — you must disclose this to the Australian government and give permission for them to act on your behalf. Because Australia has strict rules about who may provide immigration advice and assistance, working with a reputable referral agency to ensure you receive only the best professional assistance is of paramount importance.
Once you have researched which visa is the best for your circumstances and have gathered all the relevant documentation, it is time to submit your application. This can be done through the Australian government’s online portal — ImmiAccount — or you can submit your application and supporting documents on paper via the postal service or a courier service.
If you choose to apply on paper, you will need to provide certified copies of documents and pay your application fees prior to submitting the application. It might be a challenge to find the address to send your application as not all the forms listed have this information — which is why applying via the portal is recommended.
Regardless of how you apply, it is extremely important that the information you provide — particularly regarding the identities of you and your family members — is accurate. If you or a member of your family are refused a visa due to failure to satisfy the identity proof requirements, you could be barred from reapplying for 10 years. Providing false or misleading information — even if done inadvertently — could result in a three-year prohibition on reapplying.
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Learn More and Get Help With Your Australian Work Visa
Successful procurement of an Australian work visa is no easy task. If you want to make sure that you understand which type of visa you should apply for and the right way to go about applying, Relocate is an independent marketplace where you can dig-deeper into important topics about immigration, ask experts questions or find a qualified Australian Advisor to help you through the visa process.
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