Candidates who have skills in demand may be qualified to apply for a skilled visa. Employer sponsorship does not apply to Skilled Visas. Requirements for general skilled migration include qualifications, work experience, English skills, and satisfaction of the points test criteria. It is essential to note that the requirements differ depending on the situation.
The General Skilled Migration Visa is the most usual visa program for overseas professionals, managers, tradespersons, international graduates in Australia who can apply for this visa. The most common visa subclass are:
- Subclass 189 Skilled Independent
- Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated
- Skilled Regional Visa Subclass 191
- Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional
Subclass 489 Skilled Regional (Provisional) is applicable from 16 November 2019.
What Are The Criteria For A Skilled Migration Visa?
To apply for Skilled Migration Visas, you need to meet the following conditions.
- Age needs to be under 45 years
- Need to have proposed Occupation on the Skilled Occupation List(SOL) or Consolidated Skilled Occupation List (CSOL)
- Need to have English Competency Test taken such as IELTS 6.0 for all bands or equivalent(higher score may be awarded additional points
- Need to have at least 65 points to be eligible for visas
Applicable from 1 July 2021, all candidates interested in applying for GSM visas need to submit an Expression of Interest(EOI) and receive an Invitation to apply for ITA before starting with the visa application. There are particular subclass necessities to be met:
- A State/ Territory sponsorship or nomination is needed for the Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated Visa.
- A State/ Territory nomination or relative sponsorship is required for the subclass 489 Skilled Regional Visa. However, you need to live for at least 2 years.
- The Subclass 189 Skilled Independent Visa doesn’t necessarily require state/ territory or relative sponsorship.
Application Process
You need to provide the following documents for the application process
- Checking eligibility points test
- Apply for skills assessment along with competency test results
- Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) via Skill Select
- If significant, apply for State Nomination
- Submit visa application within 60 days after receiving an Invitation to apply to ITA and include all supporting and necessary documents for application
Note that skill assessment is the simplified steps. So, prepare and provide the proper documents and information as required. It helps to smoothen the application processing time.
How can work visa lawyers help?
Work Visa Lawyers are highly qualified in all parts of the General Skilled Migration (GSM) Visa Applications. They can assist in all aspects of the application, also helps in resolving complications:
- Skill Assessment
- Choosing the proper ANZSCO Code
- Territory/State Sponsorship Applications
- Complexities in determining documents to demonstrate work experience or family relationships
- Update-to-date with forthcoming deadlines. It affects your total points, such as age or expiring documents. It facilitates your visa application to be submitted as fast as possible
General Skilled Migration (GSM) Subclasses 189, 190, and 491 replace the 489, the most popular way for skilled migration to Australia. General Skilled Migration is a point-based visa. The points are calculated from age, English language score, qualifications, work experience, and other abilities of individuals.
Types Of Visa Subclass For General Skilled Migration
1. Skilled Independent Subclass 189 (Permanent ) Visa
This independent Subclass 189 visa can be granted based on the visa candidate’s benefits based on a points-based system, and there is no requirement for sponsorship. To be qualified for this kind of visa, you need to have:
- Your age should be less than 44 years.
- Need to minimum points score of 65 or higher (higher the points greater the opportunity to get invitation earlier )
- Need to have taken the English Competency test securing +6 in each band, higher the score points will be added respectively as the score.
2. Skilled Regional Provisional Subclass
Notice: From 15 November 2019, the Subclass Visa invited pathway visa was closed to new applications and replaced by Subclass 491.
This visa is valid for four years, but it only allows the visa holder to live, work or study regional areas of Australia. This visa needs that you are sponsored by an Australian relative that lives in Regional Australia or by a state or territory government. To be qualified for the skilled regional provisional subclass, you need to have:
- You need to be a maximum of 44 years
- Need to have English Competency Result(IELTS 6+) in each band Need to meet character and health needs. Your Occupation should be listed on the ANZSCO Code and should be in skill levels 1, 2, or 3.
- You also need to have skills based on the nominated skill list
To get a Subclass 489 Visa, you need to be sponsored by relative lying in the nominated area. Your reactive sponsor needs to be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand Citizen. First Parents, Brother or Sister, Uncle or Aunt, Nephew or Niece, First Cousin, or Grandparent can sponsor you for the Subclass 489 Visa.
A relative sponsor, the significant Medium and Long-term Strategic Skill List (MLTSSL), is similar to Subclass 189 Visa. It is necessary to lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) to apply for subclass 489. And once you receive your invitation, you have 60 days to lodge a valid application.
You also can include family members in your application like Spouse, Wife, Mother, Father, dependent children up to the age of 23 years, de facto partner, and others. However, there are some limitations.
Once a visa is granted, you and your included family members can live, work, and study in the regional area. The accepted regional areas differ depending on whether you are sponsored by a State or Territory Government or relative.
State or Territory Government: You can live in a regional area or low population growth area.
Relative: You need to live in the nominated area.
3. Skilled Regional Subclass 887
Skilled Regional Subclass 887 is the permanent stage of the Subclass 489 Visa. To be eligible for a Skilled Regional Visa, you need to live in Australia for 2 years. You have to live and work full time for at least 12 months.
Cost: The visa application charge for general skilled migration primary visa applicants is $4,044, the secondary (adult) applicant costs $2025, and secondary(child) applicants $1010 till now. This cost is updated on 1 July 2020).
Skilled Migration Points Test
GSM Visas need to have a minimum score of 65 points. This point is calculated by:
- Age: 18 to 24 contributes 25 points, 25 to 32 contributes 30 points, 33 to 39 contributes 25 points, 40 to 44 contributes 15 points ( upto 30 points)
- English Language Test: IELTS 6+ or equivalent other test scores = 0 (doesn’t get any points), Proficient IELTS: 7+ in each band contributes 10 points, Superior 8+ in each band contributes 20 points (20 maximum points)
- Overseas qualification: Acknowledge Trade Qualification including a Diploma or Trade Certificate completed at an Australian educational institution or other award or a qualification acknowledged by the applicable skills assessing authority e..g ACS= 10 points
- Acknowledged Bachelor degree or higher= 15 points, perceived Ph.D. (Doctorate) contributes 20 points while Australian Qualifications will contribute (5 points), Study in Regional Australia or a low populated growth Area(5 points)
- Professional Educational Qualifications (5 points)
- Professional Year in Australian for related Occupation (5 points)
- Overseas Work Experience: 3 years= 5 points, 5 years= 10 points, 8 years= 15 points ( 10 years in the related skilled Occupation or nominated Profession)
- Australian Work Experience: 1 year contributes 5 points, 3 years equal to 10 points, 5 years equal to 15 points, 8 years equals 20 points(last 10 years in the nominated or closely related profession )
- Partner’s age under 50 and English ability (IELTS 6+ in each band)
- Partners skill assessment will provide 5 points if their occupations are in the nominated list.
- NAATI Accredited para-professional interpreter or translator contributes 5 points
- Subclass 190will contribute 5 points, Subclass 489 contributes 10 points, respectively.
Note that the GSM points eligibility system was changed in November 2019, and some visas were replaced, and the points system differs slightly.
GSM Points Test Changes
These new modifications to the GSM point test came into effect on 16 November 2019. New additions include:
1. Study in a regional area
Studying in a regional area comprises 5 points. It does not apply to those students who have undergone distance education. But the candidates have to live in a particular area; the campus also has to be in nominated regional areas. The candidates also need to meet the Australian study requisites.
2. Partners points
The partner’s points will increase by 5 to 10 points. It will be granted to Australian citizens or Australian Permanent Resident. 5 points will be granted to partners of applicants who is an applicant of the same visa. A non- Australian citizen has to submit a Competent English Test for 5 points.
3. Sponsored 491 Visa
State sponsors 491 Visa, Territory government, or an eligible relative will increase points from 10 to 15 points.
Subclass 489 Visa replaced by Subclass 491- Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa.
It comes into existence from 2019, 16 November. 489 Visa is closed and replaced by new 491 visas take its place. The new visa will be listed as a General Skilled Migration(GSM) Visa.
Features Of The Subclass 491 Visa Contains The Following Points
- Candidates in Australia need to hold either a substantive visa or a bridging visa A, B, or C
- Subclass 491 will be subjected to a new GSM points test, and candidates must be invited to apply for a 491 visa and apply within a specific time frame.
- At least 65 points will be needed as per the requirement as per all other visas.
- Candidates need to propose a nominated occupation from the Sponsor list and need to be a permanent citizen of Australia, a Permanent Australian citizen, or qualified New Zealand citizen, or either the appellant or their wife or de facto partner is capable of 489 visas.
- Sponsors who are relatives need to be residing in a particular regional area.
- All candidates need to declare that they have honest intention to live, work and study in the particular regional area.
- Other visas include partner skills, business skills, GSM Visas, 186 visa needs subclass 491 visa holders to have held thas visa for a minimum of 3 years and have extensively combined with the circumstances for this visa except certain extraordinary circumstances apply.
New visa conditions need to be forced on all visa holders, including:
Form 8578: Inform Immigration within 14 days of any change to the visa holder’s house location or address, email address, phone number, passport details, address of the employee, or address or location of a position
Form 8579: Applicants need to live, work and study in a particular regional area registered at the time the visa was granted
Form 8580: If requested, provide proof to Immigration within 28 days after the date of request of any or all of their: domestic addresses, address of each employer, address of each location of each position employed, or address of an educational institutional institution they attended
Form 8581: If requested, attend an interview with Immigration. If the visa is permitted, it will be valid for 5 years.
Looking For Help?
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