Australia : Visa and immigration

Do I need a visa and/or work permit?

• Working Holiday visa - most graduates visit Australia on a year out directly after graduating. You will need a 12-month Working Holiday visa, which allows a person between 18 and 30 years to work on a casual basis. The application must be made offshore on the understanding that the work carried out in Australia is only to supplement your travels and you must have proof of adequate funds to support yourself initially, plus a return or onward ticket. There is also a limited employment period with each employer, but the visa may be extended for a further 12 months if you work as a seasonal agricultural worker in rural Australia for three months.
• Student visa - you will need to apply for a student visa if the course lasts longer than three months. You will also receive permission to work enabling you to work up to 20 hours a week on a casual basis during term time plus full-time during vacation periods, although you must have proof of adequate funds to support yourself initially. English language skills are a requirement of the visa. You must also attend and/or satisfy course requirements. A further condition of the student visa is taking out Overseas Student Health Cover .

For more information see Australian Government: Department of Immigration and Citizenship .

For further details on all visas, including information on visitor (travel) visas, business visas and partner (family) visas, visit Migration Expert , and for more information and advice see Working in Australia .

How do I apply for a visa and/or work permit?

You will need to apply for a visa before you go to Australia, and processing times can be lengthy. Applications can be made online. For more information visit the Australian Government: Department of Immigration and Citizenship  website. 

If you are not a UK national, contact the Australian embassy in the country where you are currently residing about how to obtain visas and work permits. If you are living in the UK, go to the Australian High Commission in the UK .  

You might also find it helpful to contact your ministry of foreign affairs (or your own embassy if you are not living in your home country) to ask whether there are any issues to be taken into account when considering working in Australia.

How do I apply for permanent residency?

If you are considering working in Australia on a more permanent basis then you should apply for a visa through the General Skilled Migration (GSM) programme. For more details visit the Australian Government: Department of Immigration and Citizenship  website.

Applicants need to have relevant professional qualifications and significant work experience to prove they can contribute to the Australian economy. Employers are increasingly seeking online applications that can be completed anywhere in the world, although most interviews will take place in Australia. You will need to meet the requirements of the points-based assessment system.

The GSM scheme works in two ways:

• If you are not nominated by a state or territory government your occupation must be on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) - Schedule 1 .
• If you are nominated by a state or territory government your occupation must be on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) - Schedule 1 and 2 .

You must then obtain a ‘skills assessment’ from an Assessing Authority.

Alternatively, it may be possible to attain sponsorship for a permanent visa from an employer via the Employed Nomination Scheme (ENS). Your occupation must be on the Employer Nomination Scheme Occupation List (ENSOL) . This is generally used as a stepping stone to gain permanent residency in Australia. This Skilled - Sponsored (Migrant) visa is extremely difficult to get, especially from outside the country, and only highly skilled applicants are successful.

Or see if you qualify for a three-year Skilled - Regional Sponsored (Provisional) visa.

The visa application system is set to change again on 1 July 2012 with the introduction of the Skilled Migrant Selection Register (SkillSelect) whereby new applicants for independent, family or state/territory sponsored migration will need to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). Unless rejected, applicants would be issued with an invitation. The next step would then be to lodge a visa application. The first round of invitations is expected in January 2013.