How can I emigrate to Australia?

Today we’re going to address a question that many of you are asking – How can I emigrate to Australia?

While you may want a short and standard answer, it’s not that simple. A comprehensive assessment of your personal circumstances has to happen to find the route that’s best for you.

That’s why we’re going to get to answer by…asking you some questions.

Does your occupation appear on a skills shortage list?

Skilled migration is one of the most popular ways to emigrate to Australia. To be able to also take this route, however, you must work in an occupation that appears on a skills shortage list.

There are three skills shortage lists:

• • Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL)
• • Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL)
• • Regional Occupation List (ROL)

Being in the ‘right’ occupation is only the first piece of the puzzle though. You’ll also have to meet age, language, health and character requirements. All of these factors are taken into consideration when doing your points assessment, another important part of determining your eligibility for a skilled migration visa.

Do you have a job offer?

When you have a job offer, you could emigrate to Australia with an employer sponsored visa. Under this category you’ll have four options:

• Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494)
• Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186)
• Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa (subclass 187)
• Global Talent Visa Program

You’ve only crossed the first hurdle though with a job offer. Like with skilled migration visas, you’ll still have to meet a number of other requirements. These criteria will depend on the visa you’re eligible for, but range from age requirements to being able to demonstrate skilled work experience.

Do you want to join your Australian partner?

Australia offers a number of visa options if you want to join your Australian spouse, life partner or fiancé Down Under. Your visa options are as follows:

• Partner visa (subclass 820): The subclass 820 visa lets the de facto partner or spouse of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen live in Australia temporarily. Getting this visa is the first step towards a permanent Partner visa (subclass 801).
• Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300): The subclass 300 visa allows you to go to Australia to get married to your prospective spouse and then apply for a partner visa.
• Partner Provisional visa (subclass 309): This visa lets the de facto partner or spouse of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen live in Australia temporarily. Getting a subclass 309 visa is the first step towards a permanent Partner visa (subclass 100).

Each of these visas comes with its own criteria. The most important requirement for the 820 and 309 visas is that your relationship is of a genuine and stable nature.

Do you want to set up and run a business in Australia?

You have two visa options if you want to emigrate to Australia as an entrepreneur – provided you can meet the requirements. These visa options both fall under the Business Innovation and Investment program:

• Business Innovation and Investment visa (subclass 188)
• Business Talent visa (subclass 132)

Subclass 188 visa

The subclass 188 visa is a temporary residency visa and lets you:

• Establish;
• Develop; and
• Manage a new or existing business.

This visa is also the first step towards qualifying for permanent residency via the Business Innovation and Investment visa (subclass 888).

Subclass 132 visa

The subclass 132 is for eligible individuals who have state nomination to set up or invest in a business. It has two streams that are open for applications:

• Significant Business History stream: You can apply under this stream if you have a net business and personal assets of at least AU$1.5 million and an annual business turnover of at least AU$3 million.
• Venture Capital Entrepreneur stream: You can apply under this stream if you have least AU$1 million in venture capital funding to start the commercialisation and development of a high-value business idea in Australia.

Are you looking for an investment route?

The Business Innovation and Investment visa (subclass 188) not only allows you to set up a business. This visa also offers you the opportunity to gain Australian residency by investment.

You’ll have two options:

• Investor stream: You want to make a designated investment of at least AU$1.5 million in an Australian state or territory, and maintain business and investment activity in Australia.
• Significant Investor stream: You are willing to invest at least AU$5 million into complying investments in Australia, and maintain business and investment activity in Australia.

You’ll be eligible to apply for permanent residency, the subclass 888 visa, if you meet the requirements.

Do you want to join your children in Australia?

Australia knows that families scattered across the globe want the opportunity to reunite, even if not permanently. For this reason, Australia offers a number of visa options to the parents of settled Australians, both citizens and permanent residents, and eligible New Zealand citizens:

• Parent visa (subclass 103): This is a permanent residency visa that lets a parent move to Australia.
• Aged Parent visa (subclass 804): This visa also grants permanent residency and lets an aged parent move to Australia. An ‘aged parent’ is someone who is old enough to receive the Australian age pension.
• Contributory Aged Parent visa (subclass 884): This visa lets an aged parent stay in Australia temporarily. You must have sponsorship from an eligible sponsor who is usually an eligible child. If you meet the requirements, you’ll be able to apply for permanent residency under the subclass 864 visa.
• Contributory Parent visa (subclass 173): This visa lets a parent stay temporarily in Australia. Like with the 884 visa above, you must be sponsored by an eligible child. Also similarly, you’ll have the opportunity to apply for permanent residency if you meet the criteria.

But if we had to give one answer to “how can I emigrate to Australia”, it would be this…

Get in touch with a licensed immigration agent to assess you against the criteria for Australian visas. This is the most surefire way to see how you can emigrate to Australia. In other words, discovering the visa or visas for which you qualify.