Migration

Only certain occupations are approved for use under Australia’s permanent and temporary skilled visa programmes. These occupations are categorised into two, namely, Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) and Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL)

You may apply for permanent visa under these options: Skilled Migration (Independent, Employer or State Sponsored), Family (Partner visa, Child visa, and Contributory parent), Business and Humanitarian.

The Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) is the most popular as it allows you to apply for PR independently without relying on state sponsor or employer sponsor provided you meet the points test and invited to apply for PR.

Yes, you can apply for all types of visa from overseas except for graduate (485) and humanitarian visas.

You can find a sponsor yourself, or you can put in an expression of interest using SkillSelect. Lodging an expression of interest in SkillSelect allows Australian employers to see your qualifications and employment history. Employers can then contact you if they are interested in offering you a position.

Your employer has the obligation to report to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) of any changes of circumstances including the closure of the business.

If this happens, you may do the following options:

• Look for another employer who would nominate you preferably the same position within 60 days
• Apply for another visa (student, RSMS, partner etc.) or else
• Leave the country within 60 days

An expression of interest (EOI) is a method of showing your interest in applying for a skilled visa to migrate to Australia. It is an online form in SkillSelect which asks a series of questions about your skills depending on the visa subclass you select.

It is used to calculate your ability to meet the points test for certain visas and can be made available to employers and state and territory government agencies if you would like to be considered for a sponsored skilled visa.

An occupation ceiling is a limit on the number of invitations that can be issued through SkillSelect each year. You will not be invited to apply for one of these visas if your occupation has reached its ceiling.

Yes. You can choose to use a migration agent to assist you in submitting an EOI. Migration Agent should be registered with MARA (Migration Agents Registration Authority).

The best way to make sure that the person you are seeking migration advice from is someone you can trust is to check that they are a migration agent listed on the Office of Migration Agents Registration Authority website.

Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) is a free online service that gives visa holders, employers and other registered organisations access to visa entitlements and status information 24 hours a day. You may click this link https://online.immi.gov.au/evo/firstParty?actionType=query