For Professionals and Tradespeople aged under 45

There are a range of  Skilled Visas available to professionals and tradespeople aged under 45 to migrate permanently to Australia.

All of the skilled visas require that you meet the points test pass mark currently set at 65 points. You can either apply on your own or if you need additional points you can apply for sponsorship from a state or territory government or an Australian relative who resides in a regional area. Whichever visa you apply for you need to reach a competent level of English in an exam accepted by the Department of Immigration. To be eligible for any skilled visa you must first obtain a skills assessment in your nominated occupation. There are a large number of skills assessment authorities and each skill assessing body has it's own eligibility requirements.

To be eligible for the skilled independent subclass 189 visa (no sponsorship involved) you will need to have the qualifications and some recent work experience in an occupation on the skilled occupation list. Sometime you will need extra points to reach the pass mark of 65, or you may have an occupation that is not available in the subclass 189 program but is on the Consolidated Skilled Occupation List. In this case you may be able to apply for the sponsorship of a state or territory government for a skilled sponsored visa (subclass 190). Each government authority has their own list of occupations that they will sponsor under and a range of different rules and requirements.

The key considerations with skilled visas are:

1. English - if you can obtain a very high result in your exam you can gain additional points which can help when you have limited work experience;
2. You don't necessarily need to prove all your work experience and exceed the 60 point pass mark - you may be creating extra work for yourself unnecessarily;
3. Get your skill assessment before you start your expression of interest (EOI) and visa application process;
4. You need to be able to provide adequate evidence to substantiate any claims of work experience that you are relying on;
5. Carefully consider the information supplied in your EOI and make sure you can prove any claims you make to avoid difficulties at the visa application stage.

Contact us today for a free initial assessment over the phone to look at your skilled migration options.