Australian Work Visa

With a diverse culture and innovative technological infrastructure, Australia can be rightfully called a land of opportunities. With one of the largest immigration programs in the world, it welcomes individuals from across the globe to work in Australia and create a better future for themselves as well as for the exotic island nation.

Getting a work visa for Australia would let candidates live and work in the country for a set number of years after which they will be able to renew the visa or get a permanent visa depending on the stream of visas they have taken. The visa will be based on the kind of skilled professional the candidate is and will be dependent on the time they want to stay in the country. The skills and qualifications they possess must be listed on the country's skills shortage list.

Types of Work Visa and Eligibility

The Department of Home Affairs of the Australian Government provides Australian Work Visa under a wide array of categories. The work visas have been broadly categorized into Short Stay Work Visas, Temporary Work Visas, and Permanent Work Visas with each of these categories having different visas available under them. The details for the visa and the eligibility for applying for them have been listed below.

Type 1 - Short Stay Work Visas

Short Stay work visas have three subcategories Working Holiday Maker Visa, Pacific and Seasonal Work Visa, and Temporary Activity and Specialist Visa each of which has different subclasses of visas on their own. The eligibility criteria change from visa to visa and have been listed along with the details for their respective visas below.

Working Holiday Maker Visa

This kind of visa is provided for young adults who wish to spend an extended holiday in the country all the while working there to fund the holiday. There are two types of visas available in this category-

Work and Holiday (subclass 462)

Cost- AUD650
Processing Time- 1 to 88 days
With this visa, candidates who wish to have an extended holiday in the country will be able to stay for 12 months. The eligibility criteria include-

• Person between 18-30 years old (35 years age limit for some countries)
• Person should have a valid passport (from an eligible country)
• Person must not be accompanied by dependent children

Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417)

Cost- AUD650
Processing Time- 1 to 31 days
People who apply for this visa will be able to stay for 12 months. The eligibility criteria include-

• Person must be aged between 18-30 years (Canadian, French, and Irish citizens can be between 18 and 35 years old)
• Person must carry a valid passport
• Person must not be accompanied by dependent children

Pacific and Seasonal Work Visa

People who wish to go to Australia to participate in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme will be able to apply for this visa. The stream type under this category is:

Temporary Work (International Relations) Visa (subclass 403)-Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.

Cost- AUD365
Processing time- Varies depending on visa stream
To take part in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) program, candidates must be employed in Australia as a Temporary Activities Sponsor approved by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR). This is restricted to a few industries only. Candidates may be hired for a maximum of four years on a long-term work contract or nine months on a short-term one. The eligibility criteria for the visa include-

• Candidates must be approved by DEWR to participate in the PALM scheme as workers. The employer must also be a Temporary Activities Sponsor.
• Candidate must be a citizen of and resident in Timor-Leste, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, or Vanuatu.

Temporary Activity and Specialist Visa

This visa is provided to candidates who have highly specific or specialized skills in a particular field who are invited to the country to work for a short term. It has two types of visas which are-

Temporary Activity Visa (subclass 408)

Cost- AUD415
Processing Time- Varies according to the stream
Under this form of temporary Australian Work Visa, one can stay in Australia for a period of up to 4 years. This visa enables one to participate in events organized by the Australian government. To be eligible for this visa one must have specific skills required for participating in the event. The eligibility criteria include-

• Candidates must have the necessary skills to undertake the activity assigned to them.
• Candidate must be supported or sponsored.
• Candidate must meet additional requirements of the stream they focus in.

Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) Visa (subclass 400)

Cost- AUD415
Processing Time- 8 to 28 days
This visa allows candidates to do highly specialized work in the country for a short term. Candidates who apply for this visa must have stream-specific and specialized skills that can help them in the process. They must be able to help Australian businesses and their talent must be not commonly found in Australia. They will only be permitted to do the task they were assigned to do while applying for the visa. Candidates will be able to stay for 6 months. The eligibility criteria include-

• Candidate must have a specialization or a skill that isn’t reasonably found in Australia.
• Candidates must only do the activity their visa was assigned for.

Type 2 - Temporary Work Visas

Taking any of the visas that come under the title temporary visa will let the candidate travel to Australia and work temporarily. The kind of visa that is chosen will specify the kind of work they will be permitted to do while in the country. The kinds of visas available and their eligibility information have been provided below.

Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (subclass 482)

Cost-

• Short-term and subsequent entrant- AUD1,495
• Medium-term stream and labor agreement stream- AUD3,115

Processing Time- Varies depending on the stream
In the short-term stream, the goal of this visa is to provide a work visa for up to two years or up to four years (depending on requirement) and will require a sponsoring business/company to prove the genuineness of the skill shortage in Australia. It will require sponsoring institutions to pay market salaries to the candidate. This visa also has a medium-term stream, labor agreement stream, subsequent entrant, etc. as its categories. The eligibility criteria for this visa include-

• Candidate must be nominated by a sponsor as a skilled worker
• Candidate must have skills that suit the job
• Candidate must meet English proficiency requirements

Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485)

Cost-

• Post-Vocational Education Workstream (previously known as Graduate work stream), Post-Higher Education Workstream (previously known as post-study work stream)- AUD1,895
  
• Second Post-Higher Education Workstream (previously known as second post-study work stream)- AUD745

Processing Time

• Post-Vocational Education Workstream -5 to 8 months
• Post-Higher Education Workstream- 38 to 83 days

This section contains visas for the Post-Vocational Education Workstream, Post-Higher Education Workstream, and Second Post-Higher Education Workstream. The eligibility criteria for the visa include-

• Candidate must be under 50 years of age, 35 for Post-Vocational education workstream
• Candidate must have an eligible visa
• Candidate must have held a Australian student visa in the last 6 months
• Candidate must have qualified in a CRICOS-registered course recently
• Candidate must nominate only one stream and should apply by attaching specified evidence
• As of July 1, 2024, these visa holders will no longer have the option to apply for a student visa while already in the country.

NOTE- Effective 23 March 2024, the minimum test score needed to qualify for a Temporary Graduate visa has been raised from an IELTS score of 6.0 to 6.5 (or its equivalent), with a minimum score of 5.5 for each section of the test (reading, writing, speaking, and listening). Individuals holding passports from Hong Kong and British National Overseas (BNO) are exempt from meeting this heightened English language requirement. The initial duration of stay for Indian nationals remains unchanged.

Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 491)

Cost- AUD4,770
Processing Time- 10 to 29 months
This visa is provided to skilled workers who want to live and work in regional Australia for up to 5 years. They will also be allowed to apply for the Skilled Regional (Permanent) Visa. The eligibility criteria for this visa include:

• The candidate must be sponsored by a qualified relative or nominated by a state or territory government organization in Australia.
• They need to prove proficiency in English.
• They must meet the skill requirements of the country.

Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa (subclass 188)

Cost-

• Business Innovation stream- AUD9,710
• Investor stream- AUD9,710
• Significant Investor stream- AUD14,240
• Business Innovation Extension stream- AUD1,170
• Significant Investor Extension stream- AUD1,170
• Premium Investor stream- AUD9,455
• Entrepreneur stream- AUD6,570

Processing Time- Varies according to the stream
This visa lets candidates own and manage their businesses in the country. They will also be permitted to undertake entrepreneurial activity in Australia. It has different streams, such as the Investor stream, Business Innovation stream, Significant Investor stream, etc. The eligibility criteria include-

• Candidate must submit an expression of interest in SkillSelect
• Candidate must be nominated by a State or Territory government agency or Austrade
• Candidate must be invited to apply for the visa

Type 3 - Permanent Work Visa

As the name suggests, having a permanent visa in the country implies that the candidate is an Australian permanent resident. There are categories like regional visas, skilled migration visas, business investment visas, and global talent visas under the permanent work visa section. The details and eligibility criteria for these visas have been mentioned in detail below.

Regional Visas

This visa is for skilled migrants who wish to live and work in regional Australia. The visas for the Regional Sponsor Migration Scheme and Permanent Residence are provided under this section. The details for these have been provided below.

Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187)

Cost- Temporary Residence Transition stream- AUD4,770
Processing Time- Varies depending on stream
Having this visa lets skilled workers live and work in Australia as long as they are nominated by their employer in regional Australia. The eligibility criteria for this category are-

• Candidate must be nominated by an Australian employer. The job they are nominated for must be in regional Australia.
• Candidate must be under 45 years of age.
• Candidate must have the necessary skills required for the job.
• Candidate must reach the required English language proficiency level.

Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) Visa (subclass 191)

Cost-

• Regional Provisional stream- AUD490
• Hong Kong stream- AUD4,765

Processing Time- 5 months
People who have previously resided and worked in specific Australian regions are eligible to apply for this visa to permanently live and work in Australia. The eligibility criteria for this visa type include:

• Candidate must be holding either subclass 491 or subclass 494 visa.
• Candidate must have proofs of notices of assessment issued by the Australian Taxation Office for at least 3 years.

Skilled Migration Visas

This visa allows skilled workers to live and work anywhere in Australia. There are four categories of visas under this section where some require sponsorship and others don’t. These categories are-

Employer Nomination Scheme Visa (subclass 186)

Cost- AUD4,770
Processing Time- Varies as per the stream
This is a permanent work visa that is issued to overseas workers who are sponsored by their employers. This type of visa is issued to increase Australia's competitiveness globally as well as to fill up the skills shortages in the market. The basic eligibility requirements for these visas include-

• Candidate must have the required skills for the job.
• Candidate must be nominated by their Australian employer.
• Candidate must meet health requirements.

Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189)

Cost- AUD4,765
Processing Time- Varies depending on stream
This is a permanent type of work visa and is issued to those individuals who are qualified to work for the improvement of the Australian economy (like State authority or Business). The only criterion to be eligible for this particular visa is that it must be sponsored by the employer.

The eligibility criteria for both these streams differ from each other and are very specific to the visa.

Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190)

Cost- AUD4,770
Processing Time- 12 to 18 months
Having this visa will allow nominated skilled workers to live and work in the country as permanent residents. They will also be able to sponsor their relatives for permanent residence given that they are eligible for the same. The eligibility criteria include-

• Candidates must have an occupation that is available in the skilled list
• Candidate must have a skills assessment for the job they do
• Candidate must be invited to apply for the visa
• Candidate must also have the required number of points

Skilled Regional Visa (subclass 887)

Cost- AUD490
Processing Time- 8 months to 31 months
This is a permanent form of Australian Work Visa applicable to those who have already lived and worked in specified regions of Australia on a previous work visa. With this visa, one can study or work anywhere in Australia, and if eligible they can apply for Australian citizenship. Under this visa, one can sponsor eligible family members too for permanent residence in Australia. The eligibility criteria for the visa are as follows-

• Candidate must hold an eligible visa
• Candidate must have lived for at least 2 years in the country and worked full-time for 1 year in a specified region
• Candidates must comply with the conditions for the visa they have/held

Business Investment Visas

Permanent Business Visas are provided to entrepreneurs, investors, and business owners who wish to continue their activities in the country. They will also be allowed to establish a new business or develop their existing business with this visa. There are two categories under this visa which have been listed below along with their eligibility criteria.

Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) Visa (subclass 888)

Cost- AUD 3,400
Processing Time- Varies depending on the stream
This visa is provided to business owners, investors, and entrepreneurs and has different streams that people can apply for. The streams that are provided are the Business Innovation stream, Investor stream, Significant Investor stream, Premium Investor stream, and Entrepreneur stream. The basic eligibility criteria include-

• Candidate should hold a visa with subclass 188 or in relation to subclass 888 visa in the Business Innovation stream or
• Candidate should hold a relevant stream of subclass 188 visa a subclass 444 visa or a subclass 457 visa that has been granted in certain circumstances

Business Talent (Permanent) Visa (subclass 132)

Cost- AUD7,855
Processing Time- 45 to 53 months
This is a permanent Australia Work Visa for experienced business owners who are willing to establish or operate a new or existing business venture in Australia. The streams included in this visa are the Significant Business History stream and the Venture Capitalist Entrepreneur stream. The basic eligibility for the visa is-

• Candidate must be nominated by an Australian state or territory government agency
• Candidate must be invited to apply for the visa.
• Candidate must have the required funding/assets

Global Talent Visas

This visa is provided to people who are internationally recognized with exceptional achievements in their field of study. This field should also be considered eligible by the Australian government. It is also provided to Global Talent pathway applicants and Distinguished Talent pathway applicants.

Global Talent Visa (subclass 858)

Cost- AUD4,840
Processing Time- Varies as per stream
This visa is issued to people who are internationally recognized in a field considered eligible by the Australian government. Visa holders will be able to work and study in the country and also sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residency. They can also apply for Australian citizenship if eligible. The eligibility criteria for the visa are-

• Candidate must either be inside or outside of Australia and not in immigration clearance while applying.
• Candidate should be internationally recognized either in a profession, a sport, arts, or academia, and research.
• Candidate must be nominated by either an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, an eligible New Zealand resident, or an Australian organization.

Who Needs to Apply for the Work Visa?

To apply for an Australian work visa, candidates should have the necessary skills and qualifications that are required for the job they apply to. This skill/qualification must be in a form that is recognized by the Australian government. The candidate must be invited to apply by the Australian government or should be nominated by a state or territory government. They can also be nominated as a skilled worker by an employer. The invitations will be placed through SkillSelect. Work visas are generally provided for people who are skilled workers, people participating in specific activities, highly specialized workers, trainees, experienced business people, and even investors.

Steps to Apply for Australian Work Visa

Obtain the job offer (if required)

People who wish to apply for a work visa must initially be offered a job within the government or private sector within the country. They should identify the work visa they are eligible for based on the skills and qualifications required for the job. They should also check whether the stream of visas they are applying for requires an invitation to apply for the visa.

Submit an 'Expression of Interest'

Once the visa has been decided upon, if they are to be invited for the job, they must submit an EOI/Expression of Interest which will state that they are interested in working in the country.

Obtain the Nomination approval

After the successful submission of the EOI, they will have to wait for their nominee/sponsor/employer to complete the nomination/sponsorship form and get it approved before the candidate can apply for the visa.

Pass the 'Points Test'

Candidates who are invited to apply for the visa will have to pass the points test which is calculated based on age, English language skills, Australian skilled employment, educational qualifications, specialist education qualification, etc.

Apply for the visa

Now, candidates will be able to fill out the online application on the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs website through ImmiAccount. All necessary documents and relevant information must be provided at this stage. They can apply along with the application fee and then wait for the approval of the visa after this point.

Alternatively, candidates may print their application and mail it, together with any other necessary paperwork and fees, to the Australian Government's Department of Home Affairs through courier or postal mail.

Documents Required While Applying for Work Visa

The documents required while applying for a visa can vary from visa to visa and stream to stream but there are basic documents that have to be submitted along with most visa applications. These are-

• A passport with validity for a minimum of 6 months
• Recent passport-size photographs
• Job Offer Letter
• Travel and Health Insurance
• Police Clearance Certificate
• Form 80 for Personal Character Assessment
• English Language Proficiency Proof
• Proof of Educational Qualification

Renewing the Work Visa

People who wish to stay longer in the country after their current visa expires will be able to apply for a longer stay before the expiration date of the visa. They will have to check the expiry date of the visa and the conditions that will either let them stay or not stay before deciding on the same. Candidates who have come to Australia on an ETA, Electronic Travel Authority will have to check the ETA expiry and conditions. If there are conditions that prevent them from extending their stay, the only option for them is to leave the country before the visa expires and apply for a new one.

Some Things to Remember

• Make sure to apply for the correct type of work visa.
• When renewing the visa, look for other visa options that one can be eligible for. The existing visa might be a pathway to another visa which might be beneficial to the individual.
• Take a Bridging Visa A/BVA which will let the individual stay in the country after the expiration of the current visa and before getting approval for the next visa.
• Individuals will not be allowed to travel back to the country if they leave only with a BVA. So, their current work visa should be valid if they want to come back to Australia.