General Skilled Migration Visa Australia

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GSM Visa: What You Should Know

The General Skilled Migration visa program is designed to attract highly skilled professionals, who are below 50 years of age, to migrate and stay permanently in Australia. Most visa options under General Skilled Migration Australia category provide permanent residency to applicants who meet the basic requirements and are eligible for the visa.

The visa program is a great opportunity for highly skilled professionals to migrate to Australia, and stay and work there permanently.

Points Based System

To qualify for skilled migration visa, you must have an occupation that is listed on skilled occupation category, and you must also pass the Skilled Migration Points Test for the occupation.

You must pass with at least 65 points across all occupations.

The points are awarded on the basis of age, qualification, English language ability, employment experience and partner's skill. If you do not get the minimum pass mark, you can get extra points if eligible to be nominated by a State of Territory Government. If you still do not qualify, there are other provisional skilled migration visa options available.

SkillSelect

Before you apply for GSM visa, you must first lodge SkillSelect Expression of Interest. Only the most qualified candidates receive invitation to file their skilled immigration visa applications.

To file an EOI, you must first complete a skills assessment test and prove your English language ability. You may also want to get a nomination from state or territory government before filing the Expression of Interest and this will improve your chance of getting a sponsor.

Visa Subclasses

A wide range of visa options are available under GSM as mentioned herewith:

1. Temporary Graduate Visa (Subclass 485)

The temporary graduate visa is a temporary work visa for overseas students who have completed 2 years of study in Australia. There are two eligibility streams under this - Post Study Work Stream and Graduate Work Stream. To apply for 485 skilled graduate visa, the student:

One can also include their spouse, de facto partner, same-sex partner or dependent children in the application.

2. Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189)

The skilled independent visa 189 allows the applicant to stay and work in Australia permanently. In this case, the skilled independent worker does not need sponsorship by a state/territory government or a relative. However, you have to lodge an EOI and be invited by the Department of Immigration to apply for the visa. The other eligibility criteria are:

3. Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190)

To apply for skilled nominated subclass 190, one must apply for Expression of Interest via SkillSelect and be nominated by an Australian state/territory government. You must apply for the visa within 60 days of getting the invitation. The visa lets you stay and work in Australia indefinitely. The eligibility criteria remain same as that of Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189). Besides these, there may be specific requirements for English language ability, work experience or specialised skills as defined by individual state and territory government.

4. Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (Subclass 491)

The 4-year provisional visa allows you to stay and work in Australia to obtain permanent residency visa. To qualify for this visa, you must be sponsored either by a relative, who is an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, or by a state or territory government. The basic requirements are the same as Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189)

5. Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (Subclass 191)

The skilled regional visa gives permanent residence to holders of Skilled Regional Provisional visas. You do not need to be sponsored by a relative or nominated by state/territory government. The key criteria for the visa are:

You must be in Australia with a provisional skilled visa for the last 2 years. During this period, you must have lived in a Designated Area if sponsored by a relative or a Regional or Low Population Growth Area if nominated by state/territory government
You must have at least 12 months work experience in Australia, in a full-time job and in a regional area

If you want to apply for General Skilled Migration visa or have any query related to the application process, feel free to contact our immigration consultant today.

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