One of the most common questions we receive is “How do I get permanent residency in Australia?” In this blog, we will go through the three (3) steps to apply for skilled migration as a professional in Australia.
You can watch this video where we explain step by step:
1. Skills Assessment.
The Skills Assessment is where you validate your qualifications and experience (either from overseas or in Australia), in the occupation that you wish to apply for. Each occupation has different requirements and assessing bodies (organizations approved by the department to certify your skills). For example, if you were a Chef, this would mean getting a skills assessment as a chef, which might be based on your qualification in either one or three years of experience.
2. Expression of interest
At this stage is where you add up all your points based on a number of factors. These factors include your age, your English ability, your qualifications, your years of experience both in Australia or overseas, whether you’ve done a test as a translator and interpreter, whether you’ve done a specialist qualification in Australia, whether you’ve studied in Australia, studied in a regional area, and depending on if you have a partner or you’re single, you can gain additional points.
Most importantly, in the expression of interest stage, is also state sponsorship, where you can gain an extra 5 or 15 points for state sponsorship through the process if you meet the specific state’s requirements. Again this varies depending on where you are and what your occupation is.
The minimum threshold to submit an expression of interest is 65+, but this is a competitive process. In other words, the more points you have, the more likely you are to be called first to apply for permanent residency in Australia.
3. Visa application
Finally, the third stage in applying for residency in Australia is the visa application. The visa application is what you do after you’ve been invited by either state or territory government or immigration to apply for residency, you submit a visa application, which is your pathway to permanent residency in Australia.
Nowadays, visa processing is taking from 12 to 18 months to be granted. However, if you are in Australia, you will have a bridging visa that allows you to work full-time and apply for Medicare.
At EMSA, Education and Migration Services, we look forward to helping you achieve your dreams.