Working Visas
For people looking for working options in Australia there are several forms of working visas, each with its own set of conditions and restrictions. There are permanent and temporary work visas. Working visas are mainly divided in two groups: general skilled migration and employer sponsorship visas. Some of these employment visas can be a pathway for acquiring a permanent residence status in Australia through the Employment Nomination Scheme (ENS) or the Regional Skilled Migration Scheme (RSMS). Most people who are looking to migrate to Australia are using one of these working visa options.
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General Skilled Migration (GSM)
The Australian General Skilled Migration Program (GSM) is implemented though a partnership between the Australian government and the industry and it’s designed for professionals who have skills in a particular occupation required in Australia.
The applications through the General Skilled Migration program can be independent, or with sponsorship by a relative or nomination by an Australian state or territory government.
There have been major changes recently in the Australian skilled migration program with the introduction of the SkillSelect Program from 1 July 2012.
Employment Nomination Scheme (ENS)
The Employment Nomination Scheme is a permanent visa for skilled workers from outside Australia or temporary residents who already work and live in Australia.
This scheme allows Australian businesses and employers to recruit overseas workers on permanent visas to work in Australia on full time based, highly skilled positions which are unable to be filled from the Australian labor market.
The ENS is a permanent residence visa with three possible streams:
- Temporary Residence Transition Stream is for holders of 457 subclass visa who have already worked for 2 years and their employer wants to offer them a permanent working position.
- Direct Entry Stream is for people who have never or have only briefly worked in the Australian labor market and will be directly employed for 2+ years with a sponsoring business.
- Agreement Stream is for people who are sponsored by an employer through a labor or regional migration agreement..
To be eligible for this visa you must meet the following requirements:
- be nominated by an approved Australian employer.
- be below the age of 50 at the time of application.
- meet the required skills and qualifications as well as be competent in English language (IELTS 6 in each band)
This visa allows you and your accompanying family members to:
- live and work permanently in Australia
- study in Australia
- apply for Australian citizenship
- claim healthcare which is subsidized under the Australian Medicare System and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
- be eligible for social security payments.
- sponsor other people for permanent residence.
You must currently hold a substantive visa or BV A, BV B or BV C to be eligible to apply while onshore. To be eligible for the Temporary Residence Transition Stream, you must be holding a 457 (and not a bridging visa) at the time the Nomination is lodged.