General Skilled Migration is a successful program that allows applicants to apply for residence in Australia, either directly or in stages, based upon employability factors such as age, qualifications, work experience, English competency etc. A points test is used to weigh up these factors and the total score is a major consideration in determining eligibility.
The most significant aspect for most applicants is that there is no requirement for a job offer in Australia. The vast majority of employers in Australia don’t intend sponsoring foreign workers and this is only encouraged where genuine shortages exist in the local labour market. General Skilled Migration allows an applicant to obtain the right to live and work in Australia, travel to Australia, and then seek work as a local employee.
This is a competitive program with an ever increasing number of applicants seeking a limited number of places. Generally successful applicants will now be those that have specific skill sets in demand within specific areas (states and territories) of Australia, have been working or studying in Australia, have relatives in Australia and skills that are in demand, or skills that are in demand and a very high score on the skilled points test.
As the difficulty of secure a place under this program increases, many applicants use alternative strategies such as undertaking further study in Australia, travelling to Australia sponsored by an overseas employer, oe even establishing a new business in Australia to sponsor a work visa. Study in Australia is a popular strategy – after 2 years of study in Australia it is possible to apply for an open work visa of up to 4 years. For partnered applicants it can also be possible to have full time work rights while the partner is studying, and through onshore (in Australia) work experience it can be possible to secure state or territory nomination for a skilled permanent residence visa.
The first step for a prospective applicant is to provide full details of employment and education history in addition to basic personal details. For partnered applicants the details of the spouse are also important to consider. An assessment can then be made to determine if there are any likely pathways that can be used under the current General Skilled Migration program, and if not, advice provided on alternative strategies that can be used.
Contact us to discuss, review eligibility or just have a chat to understand more about the visas.