Which Work Visa Is Right For You?

Last updated on November 27th, 2018

A Look At Australian Work Visas From Empire State Building

Before starting the immigration process, you need to choose the visa that you would like to apply. When it comes to Australia, this can get quite confusing due to the different types of visa.  In this post, we will take a look at the work visa options available to you.

Skilled Migrant Visa

Under this type of work visa, potential migrants are chosen based on their unique skills who can help contribute to the Australian economy. This category of visa can be broadly classified into below three visa types:

Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189)

Under this visa, you don’t need any sponsor and you are free to live and work anywhere in Australia. You have to get your skills assessed and score minimum points (currently 60) required by this visa. To be eligible, your occupation must be listed in the Skilled Occupation List(SOL). The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) periodically updates this list based on the demand for specific skills required in Australia as a whole.

Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190)

Under this visa, a state or territory must nominate you to apply for the visa. Usually, each state or territory may require different skills at a different time. Hence, every year DIBP updates a list of occupations required by different states, which is called the Consolidated Sponsored Occupation List (CSOL). If your occupation is in the CSOL of a particular state, you can apply for a state nomination. You need to get your skills assessed and score minimum points, but you get extra 5 points for state nomination.

Skilled Regional Visa (subclass 489)

In this visa, you should be sponsored by either State or Territory or a relative, the only limitation being you must live and work in the specified regional area for at least two years and then you can apply for Skilled Regional Visa (subclass 887) to get the Permanent Residency. As in other skilled visas, here too you have to get your skills assessed and satisfy minimum points criteria.

Employer Nominated Visas

If you can get yourself sponsored by an Australian employer, this is probably the easiest way to get yourself in Australia, though your employer must be able to demonstrate that he cannot find suitable Australian candidate for the same position. Those with niche skills have a high probability of getting PR through this category of visa if they stay with the same employer for two years.

Other Visas

There are few other visa categories such as Business related visas which allow people to set up a business in Australia, Investor visas for investors who can make a significant investment in Australia and a new stream called Entrepreneur visa which will allow budding entrepreneurs to start a business in Australia. Keep in mind that so far we have only looked at work visa options, there are other visa categories like student visa, visitor visa, family visa and so on. I don’t want to clutter this post, so I will cover them separately later on.

Since my occupation was available under the Skilled Occupations List(SOL), the choice was really simple –  to go with Skilled Independent(189) visa. No hassle of state or regional nomination and also no obligation to stay in one state. I was pretty lucky I guess! 🙂

Hopefully, you are not more confused now than before and got a broader picture of the types of work visas available. Which visa did you choose and why? Let me know in the comments below.

Moving To Australia Series

1. Moving To Australia – The Idea
2. 10 Reasons Why I Chose Australia
3. Which Work Visa Is Right For You?
4. Should I Go With Migration Agent?
5. Introduction To Skilled Visa Points System
6. How To Prepare For Skills Assessment – Part 1
7. How To Prepare For Skills Assessment – Part 2
8. How To Clear IELTS In First Attempt – Part 1
9. How To Clear IELTS In First Attempt – Part 2
10. How To Clear IELTS In First Attempt – Part 3
11. EOI – Express Your Desire To Migrate
12. Getting Visa Invitation
13. Lodging Visa Application And Making Visa Payment
14. Getting Evidence of Functional English
15. Undergoing Health Examination – The Whole Story
16. Getting Indian PCC And The Road Ahead