Steps for Permanent Residency via General Skilled Migration

These are some general steps undertaken to determine the eligibility only for General Skilled Migration Visas (Subclass 189, 190 or 491).

Step 1: Choose your Occupation

The very first step is to identify which occupation best suits your previous education and work experience. Immigration has a list of occupations on certain lists (MLTSSL, STOL or ROL) that you may be eligible to apply for General Skilled Migration Visas.

Step 2: Skill Assessment and English Proficiency

In order to apply for any General Skilled Migration Visa, you must first obtain a positive skill assessment. You cannot apply for these visas without a positive skill assessment.  The skill assessment ensures that your education and work experience meet the Australian Standards. Every occupation will have a specific skilled assessing body that will assess your education and work experience.  Each of these bodies have different requirements.  It is important to check with the skill assessing body of the requirements before you apply for a skill assessment.

Step 3: Check State Occupation Lists

This step is essential if you are looking to apply for the State Nominated (Subclass 190) or Regional Nominated (Subclass 491) Visa.  Each state has their own list of occupations that they are interested in inviting and specific requirements for these occupations. It could be useful to review the individual state or territory websites listed below to see which professions are required and what are the requirements for the individual states.  Some states have different points required for a particular occupation or employment requirements.  Some states also require a Registration of Interest (ROI) to be expressed by the applicant.  It is important to check the requirements of the different states to ensure you meet eligibility.

4. Lodge an Expression of Interest/Points Test

Once you have a Full Skill Assessment and have reviewed the state lists to ensure you meet the requirements, you will then look to lodge an Expression of Interest (this is commonly referred to as the points test).

To receive an invitation to apply for the visa all applicants must pass a points test. You would need minimum of 65 points to submit an expression of interest for general skilled migration, but the higher the points you score the higher the chance you will receive an invitation. Points are allocated for attributes such as Age, English Ability, Work Experience, Education, Relationship Status etc.

5. Lodge Visa Application

Finally, once you receive an invitation to apply for the visa you can then aim to lodge the actual visa application. You will need to provide personal documentation, education documentation, work experience evidence etc and ensure all documents are valid.

Please note, the information provided is general in nature, so be sure to book a consult with us to discuss your situation further.