Skilled Visa

The skilled visa is a category of visa designed by the Australian Government for skilled workers and those in demand in the country, and such professional service is not easily available in the country. If you wish to come to the country to work, you need a visa that suits your skilled work. The skilled workers and professionals applying for a skilled visa in the country need to fit in a nominated occupation (as per the applicant’s skills and experience) from the country’s relevant skilled occupation list.

Australian skilled visas involve submitting an expression of interest, securing positive skill assessment, ensuring state or family sponsorship (where required), and passing the points test (such as for subclass 189 and 190 visas). There are many skilled visas that the Department has rolled out, such as subclass 189,190, 491, 482, and 485, and an aspirant looking to obtain a skilled immigration visa in Australia is required to analyse his prospects to ensure if he/she qualified to work in an eligible skilled occupation in Australia and can meet all other requirements of the concerned visa subclass.

The applicant must also ensure to determine the accurate visa program under which the particular skill (occupation) falls, for this one should first refer to the Combined Current List of eligible skilled occupations. The Australian skilled occupation list is basically a list of those occupations that are in high demand in the country’s labour market. The country’s government is willing to offer migration facilities to the foreign nationals to fill the skill shortages.

Occupations that have high demand in the labour market and are required to fill in the skill shortages are mentioned in the Australia Combined Skilled Occupation List. The STSOL and MLTSSL are Australia’s occupational demand list, which contains occupations that cover the permanent and temporary skilled visa programs under the Australian visa system.

The MLTSSL stands for Medium, and Long Term Strategic Skill List, which was earlier known as Consolidated Skilled Occupational Skilled List (CSOL), and the STSOL stands for the Short Term Skilled Occupational List, which was earlier called the Skilled Occupational List (SOL). For visas that require state nomination such as the Skilled Nominated Work visa subclass 190, your occupation should be in demand in the subjective state and listed on the States Skilled Sponsorship Lists

Australia is one of the most sought after countries for individuals who want to immigrate. The country has innumerable qualified professionals flocking towards its stable economic environment. The immigration process in the country is maintained and structured by the Department of Home Affairs. In an effort to reduce the processing time, the Department has streamlined its visa application process. While the country has a diverse range of immigration access open to the world, its skilled migration program is the most common category.

This skilled visa structure ensures that employment opportunities are provided to skilled foreign immigrants while making sure that due care is taken to prioritize Australian labour. In Australia, the Department of Home Affairs provides a year based quota for the total number of visas to be issued by the country during that particular year. This total is inclusive of all the different visa categories. One can usually apply for the particular type of visa they are qualified for. The eligibility condition to qualify for a particular visa category varies on the basis of the personal profile and self-requirements of the applicants. Foreign workers working lawfully in the country are entitled to the same working culture and benefits as any other Australian citizen.

Skilled visa facility to Australia is generally categorized as-

Temporary Visa- A temporary visa is structured to allow skilled foreign immigrants to stay in the country for a specific period of time and work on a temporary basis. As the visa conditions vary, the holder of a temporary visa might be allowed to work in a specific occupation or with a specific employer. To be a legal immigrant to the country, the holder of a temporary visa must follow the visa conditions at all times. The holders of the temporary visa can stay in the country only for the time period as specified in the visa grant stipulations. Some temporary visa facilitates permanent residency at a later stage (if eligible).

Permanent Visa- A permanent skilled visa is generally designed for talented, skilled individuals to live and work in the country indefinitely.