Brilliant news! You’ve obviously decided that moving or travelling to Australia is a great idea. And it is! So now it’s time to get real and take steps towards making it happen.
This post will give you a top level overview about the most common visa options, enabling you to start this critical part of the process with a better understanding.
The first and most obvious starting point is to investigate the visas for Australia that are most suited to your circumstances.
A few words of wisdom before we leap into this though…
Sometimes the visa process can seem lengthy and overly complicated for even the most straightforward of visas, but please don’t let this put you off. Trust me – it’s worth the time, effort, and determination.
Some people will find they tick the boxes for eligibility with ease. For others looking to make permanent roots in Australia, they may need to be open-minded and make some effort or short-term changes to meet eligibility requirements. I even know people who have changed career paths to gain an appropriate visa under the skilled migration program. I’m not saying you’ll need to do this, but if you want something enough you may need to be prepared to jump through a few hoops to make it happen. Again, the long term gain is absolutely worth it in my opinion.
Be open to all options at first, and then pick which one works best for you and your family. Don’t be scared of chatting to a migration agent either. We’ll be doing a post on here soon about migration agents and how to make the most of using one. Like any industry you get good and bad, but a good one will be able to guide you through the process and even suggest ways of becoming eligible if it appears you’re not at first glance.
There are many avenues for entering into Australia. The most frequently applied for visas for both moving and travelling to Australia are:
The information is pretty extensive; so let’s take a quick look at the different options in brief.
There are a few different options for moving to Australia on the basis of your ‘skilled occupation’. There are both sponsorship routes (where you are sponsored/nominated by an Australian employer), and points based routes (where you are assessed on the occupational skills you can provide in Australia). This link gives you more of an overview about the different options currently available: https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Work
In April 2017 the Australian Government announced the changes being made to the Temporary Work (Skilled) Visa (subclass 457). In 2018 the visa will be abolished and replaced with a completely new Temporary Skilled Shortage visa, which will ‘support businesses in addressing genuine skill shortages’. You can find out more about the replacement visa and skills shortage list here: https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Work/457-abolition-replacement
There are various visa options that enable close family members such as partners, fiancés, and dependent children to be reunited in Australia. There are also additional programs for other family members such as parents, orphaned relatives, carers, and aged dependent relatives. As there are so many different avenues it is worth taking a good look through the appropriate category on the following link: https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Brin
Please note that on 5th May 2017, the Australian Government announced that a new temporary sponsored parent visa would be introduced during the 2017/18 Migration Program year. You can find out more information about this visa and eligibility here:
https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visi/temporary-sponsored-visa-parents
If you want to study in Australia you will need a Student Visa (subclass 500). To be eligible for this visa you must have already ‘been accepted to study full-time in a registered course at an educational institution in Australia’, and
‘organised appropriate welfare arrangements for the duration of your intended stay in Australia if you are under 18 years of age.’ Find out about the Student Visa here: https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Stud
You can also apply for certain family members to join you whilst you are studying in Australia. You can find out more here: https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Stud/Brin
If you are looking to travel to Australia for a holiday the process is fairly simple, extremely quick, and you can even apply online (if you are from an eligible country). For the latest information on visitor visas for Australia you can visit the Australian Government – Department of Immigration’s website: http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visi/Visi
The Working Holiday Maker Program is aimed at giving younger people from eligible countries, the opportunity to have an extended holiday that can be supplemented by short-term employment. You can find out about eligibility here:
http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visi/Visi/Working-holidayorWork-and-holiday-visas
Another useful tool is the Visa Finder on the Department of Immigration’s website. It looks at your personal situation to try and guide you towards the most suitable visa options: https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1
Don’t worry if these visa options do not look suitable at first glance. There are many other avenues to investigate. This blog post is simply to give you a good overview so that you can start to get your head around the visa possibilities. Remember; go to the official websites for all the latest information (things can change frequently). And don’t put things off for too long. It may become harder to move down under – so ‘seize the day’ as they say. You only live once and you really can shape your own future. So get started now! If you can dream it – then you can do it!
Don’t forget our new Facebook Group (separate to our main Facebook page). It’s a great place to ask questions and get advice and tips from people who have already made the move, are in the process of moving, or have travelled to Australia before.
Join the group here.
With so many requests for useful contacts and information about moving down under – we have decided to set up a Directory (from migration agents, shipping companies, to money transfer companies and travel agents). Make sure you sign up to get notified when we launch this resource. Sign up here.
Please note: Information for this blog post was sourced from the official Australian Government – Department of Immigration’s website. Information correct at time of writing. Please use links within the post to ensure you access the latest guidance on visas.
For the latest tips and advice on moving to Australia.
Welcome along. I’m Clare, Founder of Take Me To Australia. Having moved to Australia six years ago, I made it my mission to learn more about this epic country we now call home. As we travel across the country to unique destinations, we share with fresh eyes the most extraordinary places we are lucky enough to experience. We aim to inspire others to follow in our footsteps, live their absolute best life, explore what Australia has to offer, and even encourage people further afield to make a similar move. We’ve grown a like-minded community of over 120,000 people. Be sure to join them by signing up to receive all the latest inspo, and connecting with us on Instagram and Facebook. See you soon.
Is there any alternative for the student migration visa for Australia?
Hi Malika
There are different visa routes that you can look at. This overview tells you about some of these routes but for more specific advice we would suggest you look at the Governments most recent options. You will find these links within the blog above. I hope this helps and wish you all the best. Clare