Migration Options for Australia

When you have decided that you definitely want to move to Australia you will need to get your Visa sorted and think carefully about your migration options. A big move such as this will be a huge lifestyle change and a completely different way of life which will be extremely exciting.

You may wish to make a complete change and emigrate for good or you may wish to spend just a few months in Australia before making any decisions.

When applying for a Visa you may feel a little bit overwhelmed by all the different choices. A Skilled Visa is the most popular choice and these can either be sponsored or independent. The sponsored version allows you to stay for up to 4 years and if you work for 2 of them then you can apply for residency. The independent version is for people who have not been sponsored but want to take up a career that is on the Skilled Occupation List. Other popular Visas include the Partner Visa, for people whose partner is an Australian citizen and the Business Migration, which is for entrepreneurs and investors. In order to apply for any Visa you will need to be a competent English speaker, be under 50 and meet health and character requirements.

For the majority of the Visas listed you will need to complete a skills assessment on Skill Select. This can seem a little confusing but it is basically an online database that the Australian government use to see how many people want to emigrate to Australia and to ensure they are attracting people for the right roles. You will be asked to provide all your details, qualifications and employment history and you will then need to wait to be told if you have been accepted.

Though completing the Visa and Skill Select forms can be time consuming and it can be nervous to wait for a reply it is worth getting these out of the way first before you plan the rest of your move. Once this is done you can start thinking about where you would like to live and even plan your moving day.