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Skilled Visas

Taking Your Skills to Australia

Australia has been the destination for migrants looking for a new way of life for many decades. This is not surprising considering that Australians enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world. Australia has shown that it is capable of providing stable economy for its residents and citizens. Even in the face of a regional monetary crisis the Australian economy was resilient.

While Australia has a highly educated work force it still invites skilled people from across the world to join the Australian workforce. Indeed, skilled migrants account for more than half of all migration to Australia, with around 60,700 places available each year. This is a considerable increase from the 1998-99 level of 35,000, and greatly outstrips growth in other kinds of migration.

This article does intend to exhaustively dissect the issues involved in skilled migration but seeks to give a brief introduction to some of the issues to be aware of when thinking about migration to Australia.

Who are Skilled Migrants?

Skilled migration programs are intended to bring those overseas residents who will contribute positively to Australia’s already successful economy. The skilled migration program is extensive, and there are many options for people with valuable skills.

Skilled migration is available in several forms and can be accessed by many different types of applicants. There will be specific skills-matching and designated skills programs in addition to the mainstream skilled migrant group. Applicants can apply from within Australia and outside of Australia (with New Zealand residents having a specific category). Some applicants are students who have studied at an Australian University and wish to stay and work there after they have finished.

Requirements

The standards that skilled migrants must attain are generally higher than for other classes of migrants. To qualify as skilled migrants you must be:

• Younger than 45 at time of application;
• Demonstrate an appropriate level of English (“vocational English”);
• Post-secondary qualifications with a nominated occupation. 
  Not all qualifications and occupations will be eligible for skilled migration programs. The Department will prepares and makes available the list of occupations and qualifications that the Australian Government wishes to attract to Australia. Some occupations and qualifications will be more highly regarded.
• Recent work experience. 
  The requirements for work experience will vary depending on the rating of your occupation. So, generally, the more highly rated your occupation the less experience you will need to demonstrate. Usually with targeted skills programs experience qualifications may be quite low.

You can also qualify if you have:

• A degree from an Australian University.
  In the case of applicants with a degree from an Australian degree the work experience requirement will waived.

Each applicant will be awarded a points score that takes into account how they fulfil each of these requirements. Some occupations and qualifications will rate more highly than others depending on the priorities of the Australian Government.

If you do not qualify to be a skilled migrant there will be likely to another category you can qualify for to gain entry into Australia. Your Immigration lawyer can help you to determine whether there are any other options for entry into Australia.

The Application

You can apply under separate skilled migration categories: Independent, and family-sponsored. International students who have just completed their qualifications can now apply for permanent residency while staying in Australia.

Independent.

These are applicants who do not have a sponsor in Australia. In order to be accepted as a migrant under the skilled migrant category you must satisfy all the particular requirements detailed above and rely on these skills alone.

Family-Sponsored.

For this category an applicant needs to have a sponsor and an assurer. The applicant must be related to the family sponsor and must have an assurer who guarantees to provide financial support.

Australian-based Application.

International students who have recently completed an Australian qualification will be eligible to lodge applications for permanent residence in Australia while remaining in Australia. This will require the lodging of both a short-term visa to stay while making application for permanent residency.

Do I need an Immigration Lawyer?

As you can see there are many subtleties to the Australian migration system. When making your application you will need to understand how to maximise your chances of gaining entry into Australia. Retaining an Immigration lawyer will be crucial to your chances as they will understand how to best make your application.

You should remember that there are great differences between migration agents and Immigration specialist lawyers. Migration agents can practice after only short courses whereas Immigration lawyers are fully-qualified legal specialists who can provide the best advice both in terms of your application and steps that can be taken when appealing a decision of the Department of Immigration.

Don’t let your future be in the hands of anyone other than the best qualified specialists in the area. Contact Faram Ritchie Davies for the right advice and be assured that your application is in the right hands.

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