Gone are the days when you just jumped on a boat and turned up.
It's Different Now
Now things are a little more tricky. In this very straight forward and quick guide, I’ll run through 6 ways to emigrate to Australia.
Employer Sponsored Workers
If you can find an employer who is prepared to offer you a job, this can be the quickest way to get your first foot into Australia. It can easily lead to a permanent residency. Work for the same employer for two years, keep your nose clean and apply for residency.
This works for approved skills only and provided the employer can satisfy the government that no Australian worker is available for the job. For highly skilled jobs it is possible to come straight in on a permanent visa, dependant upon available schemes.
Professionals and other Skilled Migrants
Or the General Skilled Migration programme, as it is also known. This for those over 18 and under 45 years old who speak good English. The jobs lists are a bit of a minefield but there seems to be the Skilled Occupation List (SOL), Critical Skills List (CSL), Employer Nominated Skilled Occupation List (ENSOL) and the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL).
Confused? Yep. Me too. The easy answer is at the end of this article, so don’t panic.
Business People
Again, I believe this option is only available to those over 18 and under 45 years of age. Known as a Business Skills Visa, you will need to establish or invest in an Australian business.
Provided your business successfully complies with the requirements, for example, by employing the necessary number of Australians, this too can lead to permanent residency. I believe buying a franchise can work.
Doctors and Nurses
There is a shortage of both doctors and nurses and as such there are many opportunities for those with qualifications to move to Australia on a permanent basis. I have a friend who finds work placements for those in the medical professions. Email me if you want to be put in touch.
Investor Retirement
Finally, if you are over 55 and without dependants, excluding your spouse, and can prove you are self funded, it is possible to retire in Australia. You will not get a permanent residency but you do get a four year visa. You can re-apply each time it is up for renewal and as long as you still satisfy the requirements, it is likely to be renewed.
Working Holiday Visa
The Working Holiday Visa is clearly not permanent. But for those aged between 18 and 30 it’s a fantastic way of visiting the country to see if you like it. You are allowed to work for the entire period if you wish, although you can only work for a maximum of six months with any one employer.
However, if you have a skill which is in demand here, then coming over for 12 months and demonstrating your skills to a number of employers may well lead to a Employer Sponsored job offer. This could be one of the fastest ways to get here in small steps. Holiday Visa – Sponsored Visa – Permanent Visa.
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This is not intended as an exhaustive list or even an authoritative guide. A couple of pages to give you an overview is never going to tell the whole story. And that’s all this is. An overview. The rules change all the time and they are extremely complex.
Just a few days ago, the government announced a reduction in the nation’s skilled migration intake. The building and manufacturing trades were the ones hit. The idea is that companies will now have to find bricklayers, plumbers, welders and carpenters domestically to combat the downturn in the building trade. But even so, employers who can’t find workers locally can still go abroad for them.
If you want to see how complex it all gets, head over to immi and take a look around. You can see all the latest job lists and see how the points system works. There is a pretty good search box top right that usually goes to what you have asked for.
And I mentioned an easy answer to all the complications earlier. Get a Migration Agent. Make sure they are MARA (Migration Agents Registration Authority) registered. They know all this stuff inside and out.
I’ll talk about migration agents next week.
If you want to read about it now, go to Moving to Australia Part 3
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
hi,
i am holding student visa and staying in victoria.i want to get PR in australia.i am from india.my father have sold all his property in india and he has send me to australia.i can’t go back to my home country.i must and should get PR here.if not i have to kill my self.can you please give me one good idea to get PR.one of my best friend aged 45,can i get PR through him.if yes,how?please help me.
i cant live anyware in the world except in australia.please help me.
Australia is a nice country but it is not a utopia. Nothing is worth ending your life for, especially a life where you have so much ahead.
I am not an immigration agent and do not have any power or influence when it comes to the Australian government giving out permanent residency in this country. I simply cannot help.
You need to speak to a registered MARA agent, I talk about them in my post about MARA agents here
Do not pay any agents any money in advance other than an initial consultation fee, usually around $100. From that first meeting they should be able to tell you if you have any chance at all of PR in this country.
Do not pay any other money unless they are definitely going to put forward an application for you to the government.
That’s my best advice but please be aware that I am not a professional in any manner and I am just trying to be helpful.
Good luck.
Cheers
Bob
Just curious, regarding the Business People visa, why is the cut-off age at 45? Can a person older than that be accepted and if so, must they start a buisness in Australia? Can they just pay an amount of cash (eg. similar to Canada’s investor program, where you pretty much pay $400,000 to live there)… I read something like $1,500,000… what does this mean. Ahhh… driving my head in!
Hi Susie
I am no immigration expert, so take no notice of me. But my understanding is that you do need to be under 45 to apply for a business start-up visa. That’s the kind of visa I was originally going to apply for, before I realised I was totally over the hill and handed the responsibility to my younger wife.
I think there is, or was, some kind of retirement plan where you did pay a bucket load of cash to get in. But I’ve just had a look at the government site, and can’t find any evidence of it now. But if you want to check around, go to http://www.immi.gov.au
They’ve got a good little wizard to guide you through. Even if there’s nothing there, it’s worth keeping a look out, things change all the time.