Australia Immigration

If you’re planning to settle in Australia and want to know about Australian immigration, then in this article we’ll cover Australia General Skilled Migration (GSM) program.

The main purpose of the Australia Immigration Program is to attract highly skilled working professionals and give them opportunities to live and work permanently in Australia. This stream grants permanent residency to the applicants who meet the required eligibility criteria based on their education, work experience, and language proficiency

Types of categories under the General Skilled Migration Program

In this article, we will cover three Subclassof GSM visas which are most popular than any other stream among foreign nationals who want to settle in Australia. These subclasses are:

• Skilled Independent Visa- 189
• Skilled Nominated Visa- 190
• Skilled Regional (Provisional) Visa- 491

Skilled Independent Visa- 189

This Skilled Independent visa is for those applicants who are highly skilled working professionals and want to live and work permanently in Australia. This visa stream allows applicants to live and work anywhere in Australia.

The best part of this visa subclass is, you can add your spouse or partner’s name in the visa application to get them the right to live and work anywhere in Australia for an indefinite period.

This visa subclass is for those applicants who are not sponsored by Australian Employer, State or Territory, or Family members.

What are the benefits of the General Skilled Migration visa -189?

This visa allows you to:

• stay in Australia for an indefinite period
• Work and study in Australia
• Sponsor your relatives
• Enroll in Australia’s public health care scheme
• Become an Australian citizen

Visa Cost

This visa cost you AUD 4,045 (Main Applicant). There is also a charge for each family member who applies for the visa with you.

Apply from

You can apply for this visa subclass from in or outside Australia.

Eligibility Requirements for Australia Immigration

To qualify for this visa, you must meet the following requirements:

• You must be younger than 45 years of age.
• You must be invited to apply
• Must score a minimum of 65 points
• Your past work experience must be on the relevant skilled occupation list (SOL).
• You must complete a successful skill assessment for the relevant occupation.
• You must meet the competent level of language proficiency (IELTS/PTE)
• You must meet Health & Character requirements

Steps to apply for Australian PR through General Skilled Migration

Step: 1 Skill Assessment

The very first step for applicants is to apply a skill assessment with the relevant authority. To qualify for the next step, you must have positive results in your skill assessment. It generally takes up to 2 to 3 months to get the results of your skills assessment. However, the time varies based on skill assessment authority which will assess your education and work experience.

Step: 2 Expression of Interest

Once you have received a positive result of your skill assessment then your next step is to submit an Expression of Interest. Here, you need to submit your personal and professional details which will be reviewed by Australian Immigration authorities for further processing.

Step: 3 Invitation to Apply (ITA)

If you have been issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA), then you must submit your complete application along with supporting documents and the visa fees. You must apply for your visa within 60 days of the invitation.

Processing Time

The current processing time for permanent residency visa applications under the 189 subclass is +1 year.

Subclass 189 allows you to travel in and out of Australia as many times as you want for 5 years from the date you get your visa. After 5 years you will need an RRV (Resident Return Visa (subclass 155 or 157) to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.

For more information. Click here

Skilled Nominated Visa- 190

This Skilled Nominated visa is for those applicants who are highly skilled working professionals and want to live and work permanently in Australia. To qualify for this visa stream, you must be sponsored by an Australian state or territory.

The best part of this visa subclass is, you can add your spouse or partner’s name in the visa application to get them the right to live and work anywhere in Australia for an indefinite period.

In this visa subclass, you’re expected to live for at least 2 years inside the State/Territory which nominated you for visa subclass 190. 

What are the benefits of the General Skilled Migration visa -190?

This visa allows you to:

• stay in Australia for an indefinite period
• Work and study in Australia
• Sponsor your relatives
• Enroll in Australia’s public health care scheme
• Become an Australian citizen

Visa Cost

This visa cost you AUD 4,045 (Main Applicant). There is also a charge for each family member who applies for the visa with you.

Apply from

You can apply for this visa subclass from in or outside Australia.

Eligibility Requirements for Australia Immigration

To qualify for this visa, you must meet the following requirements:

• You must be younger than 45 years of age
• You must have been nominated for this visa by an Australian state or territory
• You must be invited to apply
• Must score a minimum of 65 points
• Your past work experience must be on the relevant skilled occupation list
• You must complete a successful skill assessment for the relevant occupation
• You must meet the competent level of language proficiency (IELTS/PTE)
• You must meet Health & Character requirements

Steps to apply for Australian PR through General Skilled Migration

Step: 1 Skill Assessment

The very first step for you is to apply a skill assessment with the relevant authority. To qualify for the next step, you must have positive results in your skill assessment. It generally takes up to 2 to 3 months to get the results of your skills assessment. However, the time varies based on skill assessment authority which will assess your education and work experience.

Step: 2 Expression of Interest

Once you have received a positive result of your skill assessment then your next step is to submit an Expression of Interest. Here, you need to submit your personal and professional details which will be reviewed by Australian authorities for further processing.

Step: 3 State or Territory nomination

After EOI submission, your application will be reviewed by the State or Territory government agency. All state and territory government agencies have their criteria for nomination based on skills in demand. To qualify for this visa subclass 190, you must be nominated by the Australian state or territory.

Step:4 Invitation to Apply (ITA)

If you have been nominated and issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA), then you must submit your complete application along with supporting documents and the visa fees. You must apply for your visa within 60 days of the invitation.

Processing Time

The current processing time for permanent residency visa applications under the 190 subclass is 10 months.

Subclass 190 allows you to travel in and out of Australia as many times as you want for 5 years from the date you get your visa. After 5 years you will need an RRV (Resident Return Visa (subclass 155 or 157) to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.

Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa-491

This Skilled Work Regional Provisional visa is for skilled applicants who want to live and work in Australia. This temporary visa is for skilled workers who have been nominated by the specified region of Australia to live and work in regional Australia.

This visa program has replaced the Skilled Regional (Provisional) subclass 489 visas effective from 15^th November 2019. If you are nominated for this visa, you and all members of your family will need to live work, and study in a regional or low population area.

What are the benefits of General Skilled Migration visa -491?

This visa allows you to:

• stay in Australia for up to 4 Years
• work and study in a specified region of Australia
• add family members in the application
• apply for permanent residency (If eligible)

Visa Cost

This visa cost you AUD 4,045 (Main Applicant). There is also a charge for each family member who applies for the visa with you.

Apply from

You can apply for this visa subclass from in or outside Australia.

Eligibility Requirements for Australia Immigration

To qualify for this visa, you must meet the following requirements:

• You must be younger than 45 years of age
• You must have been nominated for this visa by an Australian state or territory
• You must be invited to apply
• Must score a minimum of 65 points
• Your past work experience must be on the relevant skilled occupation list
• You must complete a successful skill assessment for the relevant occupation
• You must meet the competent level of language proficiency (IELTS/PTE)
• You must meet Health & Character requirements

Steps to apply for Australian PR through General Skilled Migration

Step: 1 Skill Assessment

The very first step for you is to apply a skill assessment with the relevant authority. To qualify for the next step, you must have positive results in your skill assessment. It generally takes up to 2 to 3 months to get the results of your skills assessment. However, the time varies based on skill assessment authority which will assess your education and work experience.

Step: 2 Expression of Interest

Once you have received a positive result of your skill assessment then your next step is to submit an Expression of Interest. Here, you need to submit your personal and professional details which will be reviewed by Australian authorities for further processing.

Step: 3 State or Territory nomination

After EOI submission, you will need to apply for state sponsorship with an Australian state or Territory. All state and territory government agencies have their criteria for nomination based on skills in demand. To qualify for this visa subclass, you must be nominated by the Australian state or territory.

Step:4 Invitation to Apply (ITA)

If you have been nominated and issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA), then you must submit your complete application along with supporting documents and the visa fees. You must apply for your visa within 60 days of the invitation.

This General Skilled Migration (GSM) program allows you to travel in and out of Australia as many times as you want from the date you get your visa. To apply for permanent residency, you must satisfy the below conditions:

• You must have lived in a regional area or low population growth metropolitan area for at least 2 years
• You must have full-time employment for at least 12 months in a regional area

These are the most popular General Skilled Migration visa streams. If you’re a skilled professional and your current or past work experience matches the occupational list, then you can consider the GSM pathway to settle in Australia.

We hope this article will help you in clearing all the doubts about the Australian immigration and takes you a step closer to your dream of studying and settling abroad.

At Blogimmi, we help applicants to travel, study, and settle abroad by connecting them to their preferred destinations. We eliminate the frustration with complex application procedures by streamlining the process with our fully online on-demand consulting.

Our advisors are ready to answer your queries 24/7. If you have any questions, feel free to reach us by email or phone call.

Thank you!