Professional visas

Professional visas

For qualified professionals.

No sponsoring employer required

Attracting highly skilled migrants remains the central focus of Australia's migration strategy. Skilled migrants are vital for Australia's mature economy to grow further through innovation and new technologies. To successfully compete for highly skilled migrants in the global arena, Australia offers a skilled migration program that allows qualified immigrants to obtain permanent residency offshore before arriving in the country. After four years of permanent residency, these migrants can apply for citizenship, making it one of the shortest migration pathways.

A permanent professional visa allows you to come to Australia with your immediate family and receive access to all the benefits of Australia's generous social and economic system from day one ashore. These benefits include unlimited working rights, access to higher education at local student rates, free public schooling for children, English courses for adult family members, access to the local healthcare scheme (Medicare), various social benefits and allowances, opportunity to sponsor relatives to come to Australia. There is also a provisional skilled visa allowing the holder to work and live in regional Australia and transition to permanent residency.

Professional visas we cover here do not require employer sponsorship, unlike the visas presented in the Work Visas page.

General requirements for the main applicant include:

Being no older than 45 years of age
Having an eligible skilled occupation and a formal skills assessment by an authorized organization in Australia
Demonstrating English language proficiency at the required level (IELTS 6.0 or equivalent)
Scoring at least 65 points in the points test, where applicants are assessed based on their age, qualifications, relevant work experience, English proficiency, and other attributes
Being in good health and of good character
Being nominated by a state or territory (for the nominated and regional visas)
Being invited to apply for a visa after expressing interest

Please note

Australia's states and territories may set their own requirements and thresholds for skilled visa applicants based on their unique skill shortages and economic priorities. We recommend that applicants check the specific requirements of the state or territory they have chosen for migration.

Let's look at the professional visas offering immediate permanent residency.

Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)

This visa allows the holder to work and live permanently anywhere in Australia. It is intended for professionals in high priority occupations and fields. It is know to be the most competitive skilled visa.

Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)

For this permanent visa an applicant must receive sponsorship (nomination) by a state or a territory which means the applicant's occupation must be in demand in the chosen state or territory. The holder must live in the sponsoring sate/territory for at least 2 years. State/territory nomination adds 5 points to the applicant's score in the points test.

Not enough points? Or have relatives in regional Australia? Consider this regional provisional visa.

Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491)

This is a temporary visa where an applicant needs to be nominated by an Australian state or territory, or sponsored by an eligible relative residing in regional Australia. The visa requires a visa holder to reside in regional Australia for at least three years. If all visa conditions are met, after three years the holder can apply for permanent residence. When choosing a subclass 491 visa, the applicant receives additional 15 points in the points test.

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Expert Advice

Many people who want to move to Australia may find skilled migration challenging. Though professional visas indeed take time and effort to obtain, they remain the shortest, least risky, and most cost-effective pathways. Australia's need for highly skilled professionals drives the country's migration policy, which continues to evolve, making the skilled program increasingly straightforward and attractive. If you are a young or middle-aged qualified professional with a good command of English, all you need is to get your documents properly organized and presented.

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What is the points test?

The professional migration program is based on competition among interested candidates and the caps on the number of skilled visas established by the governments of the states and territories. Interested individuals express their interest and claim points in various categories. Candidates who score high enough to meet the cap are invited to apply for a visa. These invitation rounds occur several times a year. Therefore, the success of an individual depends on the number of applicants in their occupation, their ranking among them, and the number of invitations issued. These parameters vary between invitation rounds and states.

Points are gained in attributes such as age, education, relevant work experience, English language proficiency, marital status, and partner skills. Additional points are awarded for education and work experience obtained in Australia, with further points for studies in regional Australia, and for competency in a community language (one of the languages recognized as widely spoken in Australia). Each criterion is weighted to give candidates a fair chance to reach the threshold of 65 points. For example, younger age gains more points, but this is counterbalanced by more points for work experience, which is more common for older candidates.

What you can do if the required points threshold is not reached

Firstly, consider if you can gain points in the Partner Skills criterion. Single applicants receive 10 points for their marital status. Having a spouse or a de facto partner makes you less competitive in this category. However, if your spouse or partner is under 45, has a skilled occupation, and competent English, this can give you the same 10 points. If your partner can only demonstrate competent English, you can still get 5 points. Please note, your partner must apply for the same visa.

Secondly, consider visas that require sponsorship. State or territory nomination and sponsorship give 5 points for a subclass 190 visa and 15 points for a subclass 491 visa.

Thirdly, try to improve your English proficiency score. You can consider retaking the English language test or sitting another eligible test. If time allows, take an English test preparation course that will equip you with a range of useful techniques to improve your performance in a test environment.

Finally, consider a longer pathway via a student or work visa. Studies and work experience in Australia will not only improve your score but also give you a great chance to see if Australia is the right place for you to live permanently. You will make connections, improve your English, understand the demands of the labor market, and get an idea of the differences between states, big cities, and regional Australia. Regardless of your further decisions, your Australian adventure will be a life-changing experience. Moreover, work visas have transition pathways to permanent visas that are not points-based.

A qualified migration agent will always find the most efficient direct or alternative pathway to permanent residency considering your circumstances.

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Professional migration includes five main steps

Once you match your background to a skilled occupation on the Department's list, you need to ensure you can obtain a positive skills assessment for it. This is a formal process where the applicant's qualifications, work experience, and professional skills are assessed to meet the standards applied in Australia for this occupation. Skills assessments can only be performed by authorized organizations and are valid for three years.

Skills assessments are usually document-based. Therefore, the completeness and correctness of the presented evidence are of paramount importance. The assessor may also decide to interview the applicant. Thorough preparation and a solid understanding of the requirements of the assessing body will significantly increase your chances of success.

An applicant must demonstrate a certain level of English proficiency by sitting one of the tests approved by the Department for migration purposes. Results of other tests are not acceptable. While the minimum requirement is competent English (IELTS 6.0 or equivalent), only proficient or superior levels will give an applicant additional points in the points test.

Certain applicants, usually those with a background of living or studying in an English-speaking environment, are allowed to provide alternative evidence of English language proficiency.

Adult family members migrating with the main applicant are also required to demonstrate at least functional English (IELTS 4.5 or equivalent). If this requirement is not met, an additional visa application charge will apply. This charge is intended to cover the costs of English language classes that such adults will be entitled to when they come to Australia.

Sitting an approved English test by the main applicant (with no English-speaking environment background) and their partner is the starting point to understand:

If the main applicant meets visa eligibility criteria.
If any points can be gained for the proficiency level.
If any points can be claimed for partner skills.

You can apply for a subclass 189, 190, or 491 visa only if you are invited to do so. To enter the pool of intended migrants, you need to express your interest via the SkillSelect system. Review of your expression of interest (EOI) may take from 1 month to 2 years, depending on many factors. You need to carefully evaluate the points you claim at the EOI stage and the time-frame requirements for the related evidence. In the case of subclass 190 and 491 visas, you will first receive an invitation to apply for a state or territory nomination. Subsequently, if your EOI is successful in the invitation round, you will receive an invitation to apply for a visa.

Upon receiving an invitation to apply for a visa, you have 60 days to do so. At this stage, you must complete visa applications for yourself and all family members migrating with you and upload the documents evidencing all claims made in the application and in the Expression of Interest. Among other things, applicants will be required to provide biometrics and undergo a health assessment at one of the accredited medical centers.

The reliability, completeness, readability, consistency, and logic of the submitted documents, as well as timely responses to inquiries from the Department of Home Affairs, will objectively speed up the visa application assessment. The visa application is first assessed against validity requirements. Invalid applications cannot be processed — in this case, the applicant will be notified that their application is not valid, and the visa application charge will be returned. Valid applications will be assessed against eligibility criteria. The outcome — visa grant or visa refusal — will follow. Neither the applicant nor the migration agent or any other parties can influence the decision-making process.

The combined Skilled Occupation List available on the website of the Department of Home Affairs contains all occupations that are eligible for various visas. If you can find your occupation on the combined list, you can see which visas you can consider for migration. If your occupation is only supported by state/territory-sponsored visas, you will need to do further research to understand which states and territories are better to choose. If your occupation has only employer-sponsored visa options, you need to find an eligible employer to nominate and sponsor you.

If your occupation is not on the list at all, don't be discouraged. There are still possibilities you can explore. For example, labour agreement streams.

Understanding the demand of the Australian labour market and how your education and professional experience can fit in is critical for mapping your migration strategy.

Skilled migration is complicated and the process may seem overwhelming. However, hundreds of thousands of migrants have already taken advantage of these visas. The complications of the preparatory stages are well paid back with the benefits of coming to Australia as a permanent resident (or as a temporary resident with almost the same rights in case of a subclass 491 visa) not being limited by the risks and uncertainties of employer-sponsored pathways.

We provide a full range of services for professional visa process. You can choose to get a comprehensive package of services for your case or engage us at some steps when required.

We are pleased to offer you the following professional services:

We will analyse your qualifications, skills, and professional experience against the skilled program requirements and the specific requirements of states and territories, and develop a strategy for your migration.
We will analyse the requirements of a skills assessment authority for your occupation and assist you in preparing your skills assessment application package. We will apply for skills assessment on your behalf if required.
We will assist in preparing your visa application package.
We will submit an Expression of Interest for a skilled visa in the SkillSelect system (unlimited number of EOIs is allowed) and apply for a state nomination if required.
We will finalise your visa application package and apply for visas for you and all included family members.
We will monitor the progress of the applications and communicate with the authorities on your behalf at each step.
We will assist you to maintain your lawful status in Australia via bridging visas.

Professional visas are suitable for:

Immigration purposes, including obtaining Australian permanent residency and citizenship
Earning money in a country with one of the world's highest income levels
Recognition and advancement of professional qualifications on an international scale
Access to education, including free schooling for children
The ability to sponsor parents and other eligible relatives for migration to Australia in the future

Professional visas may impose limitations on:

In case of subclass 190 and 491 visas - your choice of a residence between states and territories for a specified period of time

Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)

Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)

Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491)

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