AUSTRALIA

People from all across the world wish to immigrate to Australia due to the opportunities and the benefits. Providing best services including medical, career opportunities, transportation, housing, employment and the best education system, it is one of the most desirable countries in the world. With the greatest economic growth Australia is considered to be the land of opportunities.

Skilled-Independent Visa (Subclass 189)

This visa lets workers with skills live and work permanently anywhere in Australia. It is a permanent general skilled migration visa and doesn’t require sponsorship by any relative or state/territory government of Australia. The skilled Independent Visa subclass 189 is a permanent general skilled migration visa which requires us to firstly submit an EOI (Expression Of interest) and then the candidate must get an invitation by Immigration department to apply. The Australia Skilled-Independent Visa (Subclass 189) allows you to live and work in Australia as a permanent resident.

This particular visa is for skilled workers who wish to immigrate to Australia. This Visa is intended for those aspirants who are independent, that is, they are not sponsored by an employee, territory or state.

When a candidate is provided with the letter of invitation, he/she must fulfill the following requirements:

  • Candidate must be in the age group of 18 to 44 with a proper education degree or diploma.
  • He/she must be nominated for an occupation, and with the help of EOI, get the invitation to apply.
  • He/she must obtain suitable skills assessment for the respective occupation.
  • Not yet turned 50 years of age at the time of filing for visa subclass 189.
  • Candidate must achieve the score specified in his/her letter of invitation based on the factors in the points test and he/she must at least meet the competent English requirements and the character and health requirements.

The Skilled-Independent Visa (Subclass 189) Australia offers the following benefits;

  • The Skilled Independent Visa subclass 189 is a permanent visa and allows you to live in Australia full time with full work rights. It allows you to immigrate to Australia along with your family.
  • The visa allows you to stay indefinitely in Australia and enjoy full working rights and work in any occupation once you arrive in Australia.
  • You can pursue your studies in Australia, while living on this visa and you are entitled to social security payments and Medicare if you are living in Australia on this visa.
  • You can include your spouse/partner, your dependent children and other dependent family members.

Applying this visa approximately costs AUD 3,700 and takes about an estimated time of 11 to 12 months. You are required to submit your EOI which will further help you receive an invitation from the Immigration to apply department. Therefore, with this visa you can not only work and study but can also apply for Australian citizenship and sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence.

The Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190)

The skilled nominated Visa Subclass 190 helps the candidate to stay in Australia permanently and work and study anywhere the candidate wants in the country.

ELIGIBILTY CRITERIA-

  • Firstly and most importantly the candidate must be selected or nominated by an Australian state or territory government.
  • Secondly, the candidate must acquire the EOI and must meet all the relevant skills assessment factors required.
  • The candidate must be under the age of 45 and must have taken the required English language test.
  • Applicant must meet the work requirement given on the relevant list of eligible skilled occupations for this visa and must meet the Health and character requirements.
  • Candidate must not have an earlier Visa refusal for Australia and he/she must have paid all the debt if any to the Australian government.
  • Candidate must score a minimum of 65 points on the points test of the Australian immigration to check the eligibility of the candidate applying for this particular visa.

The processing time for this visa is approximately mainly 7 to 9 months.
This is a permanent visa and it lets you stay in Australia indefinitely.

Skilled Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 489)

As the name suggests, this Subclass 489 visa is for skilled workers. It allows them to not only reside, but also work in specific regions in Australia for a maximum period of 4 years. The 489 visa also allows members who enter under this visa to sponsor their families for entrance to Australia under the 489 family sponsored visas.

Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa is divided into three categories:
INVITED PATHWAY
EXTENDED STAY PATHWAY
SUBSEQUENT ENTRY PATHWAY

With the help of the given pathways, in common, under subclass 489 the candidate can stay Up to 4 years with a total expenditure around AUD $3,755.

Basic Eligibility

Each of the pathways has its own criteria, some of the basic ones are:

  • Have a relevant occupation and meet the points test pass mark (Invited)
  • Hold an eligible visa (Extended stay)
  • be an eligible family member of a visa holder (Subsequent entrant)
If a candidate gets this visa, he/she might be able to apply for the Skilled Regional (Permanent) visa (subclass 887)
  • With this visa, you can stay in Australia for up to 4 years in total from the date you are granted your subclass 475, 487, 495 or 496 visas
  • You can live, work and study in a specified region of Australia
  • You can even travel to and from Australia as many times as you want, while the visa is valid apply for permanent residency, if eligible, through the Skilled—Regional (Residence) visa (subclass 887)

Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485)

This is a temporary visa which helps you to stay in Australia for a minimum of 18 months, this subclass includes Temporary Graduate visa.

Basic Eligibility:

  • Candidate must be under 50 years of age
  • Candidate must hold an eligible visa
  • Candidate must have a recent qualification in a CRICOS-registered course

The application of this visa costs around AUD1, 535 and the processing time is around 80 days to 5 months according to the application.

With this visa, you can

  • Stay in Australia for 18 months
  • You must find your own employment while on this visa as the Australian immigration or government is not responsible for anything else.
  • Travel, work or study in Australia during your stay
  • You can travel outside Australia and return as many times as you want while the visa is valid.
  • The time you spend outside Australia does not extend the visa.

Temporary Skill Shortage Visa

The most recent updates to the visa lists of Australia were noticed on 18 March 2018. This update was, outside the usual review schedule and was implemented to occur simultaneously with the introduction of the new Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa (subclass 482) and related changes to the permanent employer sponsored skilled visas.

Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (subclass 482)

Features

This visa, referred to as the TSS visa, enables employers to address labor shortages by bringing in genuine skilled workers. It targeted the usage of overseas workers to address temporary skill shortages, and it made certain that the Australian workers received priority. TSS visa holders are allowed to work in Australia under the following streams;

The Short-Term stream
The Medium-Term stream
The Labor Agreement stream

Short-term stream:

This stream is accessible if the employer desires to sponsor the candidate (as an overseas skilled worker) on a temporary basis, in consideration with the occupations listed on the Short-term Skilled Occupation list (STSOL) for a TSS visa, candidates can even go through the lists of eligible skilled occupations. This stream can be used to fill positions for a maximum of two years or four years accordingly.

Medium-term stream:

This stream is available if the employer wishes to sponsor the candidate as an overseas skilled worker. The medium stream works for a period of four years in the particular occupations listed on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) or the Regional Occupation List (ROL) for a TSS visa. Under this stream the eligible skilled occupations also includes Labor agreement stream and if the Australian employer wishes to sponsor the candidate, it is required that the candidate hired must be working as an overseas worker.

The candidate must have the skills and occupation to sign up for a position nominated by an approved business. The length of stay is from one to four years – depending on the nominated occupation, the visa stream and the circumstances. The application form for this visa costs about AUD $1,175

Candidates, who wish to work as overseas workers, are eligible if:

  • The candidate is nominated for a position by an approved sponsor
  • If he/she meets the required skills and qualifications demands and requirements of the Australian immigration. This also includes completing any skills assessments required.
  • Candidate must meet English language requirements.
  • He/She must hold a substantive visa, a subclass 010 (Bridging A) visa, a subclass 020 (Bridging B) visa or a Subclass 030 (Bridging C) visa in Australia.
  • And the candidate should meet health and character requirements with complete verifications.

Business Innovation Stream

Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) Visa (subclass 188)

This visa allows you to:

  • Own and manage a business in Australia (the Business Innovation stream)
  • Continue business and investment activity in Australia (the Investor stream, the Significant Investor stream and the Premium Investor stream)
  • Continue entrepreneurial activity in Australia (Entrepreneur stream).

Under the Provisional Business Innovation and Investment visa subclass 188 (Business Innovation Stream) the candidate must meet certain requirements. There are a few eligibility criteria’s provided by the Australian Immigration. Some of them are listed below.

  • The applicant must firstly have a nomination from the Australian state or any respective Territory government.
  • Applicant is required to reside in Australia for a minimum of 4 years and he/she must possess and own one or more business in Australia for at least the previous 2 years. The respective business must have a minimum of AUD$500,000 annual turnover.
  • If the annual turnover of the respective business of the candidate is less than AUD$400,000, then the candidate must own at 51% of the business.
  • Similarly, if the annual turnover is more than AUD$400,000, then the candidate is supposed to own 30% of the business.
  • If the business and its ownership is a public listed company, then candidate must have an ownership share of at least 10%.
  • Candidates are required to possess a total funds of AUD$800,000 in any form of assets or liquid cash to prove the Australian Immigration that he/she is eligible for this Visa type. The funds and assets must be legally acquired and must be gained in the given previous 2 years with the help of the respective business and ownership. Candidate must be able to transfer them to Australia and the candidates spouse or partner counts toward the sum of the total assets.

The nominated business must meet all the above given conditions. If the business provides professional, technical or trade related services then the candidate must spend a maximum of 50% of his/her time providing the services personally and managing the services and the respective business.

The Candidate must generally be 55 years or younger to qualify for this Visa but this age criteria can be waivered according to the investment or if the suggested business by the candidate will benefit the state or territory’s economy greatly.

Candidates must acquire a minimum of 65 points on the Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188) points test.

Investor Stream

Under the Investor stream 188, the investors who are applicable to invest a minimum of AUD $1.5 million in any Australian institution or business are preferred. The investment period under this category is around 2 years.

Eligibility conditions

Here are a few eligibility criteria’s a candidate should look out for:

  • Candidate must make sure to firstly have a nomination from an Australian state or territory government.
  • The investment must be either personal assets or capital investment, which must have been acquired legally. This investment must be owned by the candidate and his/her for over 2 years and must be transferable to Australia within 2 years of the date mentioned on the Visa.
  • Candidates are required to have at least 10% and direct management of the desired business for a minimum of 1 year with respect to the previous 5 financial years with eligible investments of at least AUD $1.5 million.
  • Candidate must prove his/her management experience related to the business. 3 years of direct management experience is required.
  • It is mandatory for the applicant to stay in the state or territory for at least 2 years and applicant must be aged 55 or less to qualify. The age criteria can be waived at the discretion of the nominating state or territory if their investment will benefit the state or territory economically or financially.

Significant Investor Stream

Under this category, the investment amount is raised up to AUD $5 million in any Australian investment institute or business activity. This is applicable after the completion period of the candidates Provisional Visa. This is a 4 year temporary visa and once the candidate is able to maintain the investment, he/she is eligible to apply for PR status.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Candidate must receive a nomination from an Australian state or territory government or from the Australian Trade Commission
  • Candidate must have at least AUD$5 million in investment funds, venture capital or private equity funds which must have been acquired legally and must be available to invest in Australia
  • She/he must agree not to bring any legal action against Australia for any losses related to the investment

Business migration can be complex at times; applicants must be willing to reside in Australia for at least 40 days per year for the duration of the visa. Another option is for the applicant's spouse to live in Australia for 180 days per year for the duration of the visa. Applicants must reside in the state or territory of their nomination.

INVESTMENT CONDITIONS

  • Minimum AUD$500,000 in venture capital and growth private equity funds which invest in start-ups and small private companies
  • Minimum AUD$1.5 million in approved managed funds investing in emerging companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange
  • Minimum $AUD3 million 'balancing investment' in managed funds that may invest in a range of assets, such as ASX-listed companies, Australian corporate bonds or notes, annuities, and commercial real estate.

Premium Investor Stream

The premium investor visa is a 4 year visa plan for candidates who are willing to make a significant amount of investment. The investment is a minimum amount of AUD $ 15 million.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Candidates must be able to receive a nomination from the Australian Trade Commission (Aus trade)
  • Applicants must have at least AUD$15 million in investment funds, which must have been acquired legally and must be available to invest in Australia
  • Candidate must agree not to bring any legal action against Australia for any losses related to the investment

Candidate must have the required “premium investment” in the following categories:

  • Australian securities exchange listed assets.
  • Australian government bonds.
  • Corporate bonds.
  • State or territory approved philanthropic contribution.
  • A real property in Australia excluding the residential property.
  • Deferred annuities issued by Australian registered life companies.
  • Australian proprietary limited companies.

Partner/Prospective Marriage Visa

PARTNER VISA AUSTRALIA – SUBCLASS 309 AND 100

The subclass 309 is a temporary partner visa which allows you to live in Australia if you are legally married to or are the de facto partner of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen. The 309 is a temporary visa and subclass 100 is the next step, which is Permanent Residency.

The application for this visa has to be made outside of Australia. This is the first stage application, eventually leading towards a permanent Partner visa (subclass 100).You must not be in Australia at the time when Visa is granted. Your partner/spouse has to sponsor you from Australia.

To enroll for subclass 309 visa type,

  • The candidate must be more than 18 years of age or must have a sponsor if the age is less than 18.
  • The candidate must meet all the health and character requirements and must have paid all the debts of the Australian Government.
  • Similarly, to enroll for subclass 100, a candidate must hold a subclass 309 visa and must be in the continued marriage or relationship, abiding with all the Australian laws and conditions.

The Provisional Partner Visa (subclass 309) allows candidates to:

  • Work and study in Australia, without access to government funds
  • And remain in Australia till the time a decision is given by the Australian government about the Permanent Partner Visa.

The applicant and the dependants are also required to satisfy health and character requirements. This visa type also allows applicants to include dependent children in their respective applications.

This visa, eventually leads to Permanent Partner Visa (subclass 100) which is applied on shore. Once you obtain the Permanent Partner visa, you can stay in Australia indefinitely and travel to and fro from Australia.

Visitor Visa

Australia is one of the most popular destinations for tourism. With its long coastline and natural wonders, Australia is a beautiful experience. Visiting Australia is something people don’t forget for a lifetime. To visit Australia and experience the astounding lifestyle, you will need to apply for the Australian visitor visa (subclass 600). Under the provisions of the visa,

  • Candidate can visit to discover Australia. Australian Tourism gives candidates the opportunity of visiting for all of purposes including recreation or visits to the family and friends.
  • If candidate wishes to visit for business purpose, it can be possible and it will include attending conferences, negotiating deals or for other business purposes.

Rules and regulations:

  • A person who enters Australia on a visitor visa is not permitted to work or provide any kind of services to any business in Australia.
  • A person entering on a visitor visa cannot sell any goods or services to the Australian government or the public.
  • A person who intends to study in an informal course for less than 3 months can apply for a visitor visa.

Sponsoring parents for a visitor visa:

Permanent Residents and Australian Citizens get the luxury to apply for Visitor Visas which allows them to sponsor their parents to visit Australia for different and even long period of time. These different types of Visas are granted based on the assessment of each case by the visa officials.

  • Australian visitor visa can be granted with five years validity and a provision of staying for 12 months continuously at one time for parents who are in the subclass 103 Visa queue.
  • For parents who are not in the Subclass 103 Visa queue, the Australian Visitor Visa is granted for a period of 3 years, where parents are allowed to stay for a maximum of 12 months per visit.

Required Documents for Australian Visitor Visa:

  • A Scanned copy of passport with all identification pages with official visa stamps.
  • Original passport with at least one page left blank
  • Recent passport size photographs and documents related to purpose of visit, which can include Invitation letter from family or friend in Australia along with proof of relationship status as well as passport and status of the person inviting in Australia if going to visit family or friend in Australia.
  • A letter from a medical doctor if going to attend the pregnancy of a daughter or daughter in law or for any medical emergency.
  • Documents related to travel plans if going for vacation and documents stating the arrangements that have been made if visiting on a student exchange program.
  • Detailed copies of Financial documents with enough funds and the last 3 months bank statements and taxation documents for last three years
  • A declaration by a relative /friend stating that they are able and willing to support the visitor for the duration of the visit
  • If the candidate is self-employed, then business registration documents should be provided
  • If the candidate is retired – documentary proof of retirement should be provided

If you are planning to visit Australia, contact us and our expert counselors who will help you with all the paper work, the process of visa and application forms.

Contributory Parent Visa

This Visa falls under subclass 173 and 143. This allows parents whose children are Australian citizens, PRs or eligible NZ citizens to move to Australia. The subclass 173 has a time period of 2 years and Subclass 143 is for candidates who wish to reside permanently. With the help of these two visa types, candidates can benefit in the following ways:

  • Candidate can live for 2 years under 173 subclass and indefinitely under 143 subclass.
  • Candidates can also get health coverage through Medicare and visit Australia frequently for 2 years with the help of 173 visa holder.
  • With the help of 143 visa subclass, candidates can apply for Australian citizenship after fulfilling the criteria and sponsor relatives for PR. Candidates can visit and leave for 5 years from the date on the visa.