Moving to Australia: Common Types of Visas

In this blog we give you an overview of some of the most common visas that people apply for when relocating to Australia. If like millions of other people, you are planning a move Down Under, this blog should help you decide on a suitable visa. There are many reasons to move to Australia, from the country's beautiful beaches to the sunny cities and laidback lifestyle. Australia has some of the best cities in the world including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Victoria! Before you can jet off to enjoy the Aussie lifestyle, it is of course important to apply for a visa that you are eligible for.

Student Visa

On a student visa you can study in Australia for up to five years. The cost of a student visa starts at approx. 620 Australian dollars (AUD). You must be enrolled in a full-time course of study in Australia when applying for this visa and this course must be registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Course for Overseas Students. The application processing time can take between two to three months. You can check your full eligibility for a student visa and get a step by step process for applying for this visa on the Australian Governments website. 

Training Visa

A training visa is for immigrants who receive sponsorship from an organisation to complete work-place based training in Australia to improve their skills in an occupation, an area of third-level study or field of expertise. The cost of this visa starts at around 310 AUD. If your purpose for the training visa is to improve your skills in an occupation, it must be one that is specified on the list of eligible skilled occupations, which can be accessed on the Australian government website. With a training visa you can stay in Australia for up to 2 years. 

Working Holiday Visa

The working holiday visa is the most popular visa for 18-35 years olds because it allows them to have an extended holiday in Australia for up to 12 months, whilst doing short-term work (usually a maximum of one 6-month period with the one employer) to help fund their trip. The working holiday visa is also one of the cheapest and most convenient visas. It is 485 AUD and the processing time is roughly between 1-2 weeks, which is much shorter than most other visas. There is a first year, second year, and third year working holiday visa. To be eligible for a second year working holiday visa, you must have completed three months of specified regional work during your first year in Australia. This is mostly farm, labour or construction work and can be spread out over your first 12 months in Australia. For a third year working holiday visa, you must complete 6 months of this type of specified work whilst on your second year working holiday visa. 

Skilled Independent and Nominated Visa

The skilled independent visa allows skilled workers to permanently live and work in Australia. For this visa, your occupation has to be on the skilled occupation list for Australia. It is also a points-tested visa, so you will only be invited to apply for the visa if you have received 65 points or more after submitting an expression of interest. If you are invited to apply for the visa, you have to do a skills assessment and be able to provide proof of a positive assessment result with your application. The cost of this visa is more expensive than the temporary visas, starting from 4,045 AUD. The processing time can also take longer, usually between 11-12 months. For the skilled nominated visa, you have to be nominated by an Australian state or territory government agency after completing your expression of interest. The other conditions for the skilled nominated visa are generally the same as the skilled independent visa, in that you have to receive 65 points or more to be invited to apply and must have a skills assessment.

Temporary Skill Shortage Visa 

With this visa, employers sponsor international skilled workers in the career sectors where there is a lack of appropriately skilled Australian workers. The temporary skill shortage visa is separated into the short-term stream and medium-term stream. With the short-term stream you can work for the employer who sponsored you for up to two years. The medium-term stream means that you can work for the employer for up to 4 years. On the visa section of the Australian government’s website, there is a list of eligible short-term and medium-term skilled occupations. Your occupation must be on this list to be eligible for a temporary skill shortage visa. You must also have up to 2 years relevant work experience in your occupation, have a skills assessment, and meet the minimum English language standards. The cost for the temporary skill shortage visa on the short-term stream starts at 1,265 AUD and 2,645 AUD on the medium-term stream, and the processing time can take between 45-54 days.

We have summarised the key points for the most common visas that people apply for when moving to Australia. However, it is still important to check your full eligibility for these visas on the Australian government’s website or on the Australian visa bureau. 

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