Which is the right visa for you?

There are many paths (and Visa) a person can take when planning to live, work or study in Australia and for some there could be a number of visa options. Which visa works best for you will depend on many factors so get in touch to find out.

Visa Classes

Business Skills Migration

Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Visa

Partner Visa

Parent Visa

Student Visa

Skilled Migration

Visas under this category are in most cases related to the skills required in Australia and are categorised in the following visa types:

· General Skilled Migration Program

· Employer Nominated Scheme

· Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme

· Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Visa

Your spouse/partner and other members of the family unit may be included in the application. All visas are subject to health and character requirements.

General Skilled Migration Program

These are permanent visas for people who are not sponsored by an employer and who have skills in particular occupations required in Australia. The visas in this program are applied for independently or through state nomination - without having a sponsoring employer. You must be able to meet the following:

· be under the age of 45
· meet the English language requirements
· have the skills and qualifications of an occupation listed on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL)
· have a positive skills assessment
· meet the minimum score of the skilled points test
· be invited to apply after lodging an expression of interest

Family Migration

Visas under this category are related to family members being able to live in Australia with their Australian family and/or partner. These visas are categorised in the following visa types:

· Partner Visas

· Parent Visas

· Child Visas

Partner Visa

These are visa options for people who are sponsored by their Australian partner. There are 3 options:

· Partner Temporary visa and Permanent visa (Onshore) – for people who are already in Australia, and want to stay with their partner who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen. The visa is temporary for the first two years, and after this if the relationship is genuine and ongoing, a permanent visa may be granted.

· Partner Temporary visa and Permanent visa (Offshore) – for people who are not yet in Australia, and want to travel to Australia to be with their partner who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen. The visa is temporary for the first two years, and after this if the relationship is genuine and ongoing, a permanent visa may be granted.

· Prospective Marriage – a temporary visa for people wanting to enter Australia before marrying their fiancé/fiancée. A condition of the visa is that you must marry your prospective spouse before the visa ends. Once you are married, you can apply for one of the other partner visas, either onshore or offshore

Child Visa

This is another permanent visa option for children being sponsored by their Australian parent. The child must be younger than 18 years of age, or if not, be aged between 18 and 24 and be a full time student or unable to work due to a disability, and is dependant on the sponsoring parent.

Other factors to consider:

· Children between the age of 18 and 24 must never have had a spouse or de facto partner, not be engaged to be married, not be in full time work, and must be a full time student. • To be a full time student, the child must have been studying continuously since turning 18, any gaps of more than 6 months must be explained.

· The child must be the biological child of the sponsoring parent, or a step child (under 18) of a step parent who is no longer with the partner of the child’s parent but has legal responsibility to care for the child;

· An adopted child must have been adopted before their parent became an Australian

· Children younger than 18 years of age can not have a spouse or de facto partner, nor can they be engaged to be married

· To be a full time student, the child must have been studying continuously since turning 18, any gaps of more than 6 months must be explained.