Skilled visas are for people who qualify on what they can do, rather than through an employer or a family member. You put your details forward, you are scored against everyone else doing the same thing, and invitations go to the applicants who score well in the occupations Australia is short of.
That competitive element is what makes skilled migration different. Meeting the minimum is not the same as being invited.
Permanent residence with no sponsor and no state nomination required. It is the most independent option and, for that reason, usually the most competitive.
Permanent residence with nomination by a state or territory. Each one publishes its own occupation list and its own requirements, and they change through the year.
A provisional visa for regional Australia, nominated by a state or territory or sponsored by an eligible relative. It carries an obligation to live and work regionally.
The permanent visa that follows the 491 once the regional requirements have been met.
For people with an internationally recognised record of exceptional achievement in an eligible field. It is a narrow visa with a high bar, and it is not a general skilled pathway.
A ballot based permanent visa for nationals of participating Pacific countries and Timor-Leste, with a job offer requirement.
It runs in a set order, and skipping a step is the most common reason people stall.
A skills assessment first. The relevant assessing authority for your occupation has to assess your qualifications and experience. Different authorities apply different standards to the same occupation.
English. The test result you need depends on the visa and on whether you are claiming points for it.
An expression of interest. You submit your claims through SkillSelect. This is not an application, and lodging one does not give you any status in Australia.
An invitation. Invitations are issued in rounds. Whether you receive one depends on your points score, your occupation, and how many others are competing.
The application itself. Only after an invitation, and only within the time allowed.
Points come from age, English, skilled employment inside and outside Australia, qualifications, study in Australia, regional study, community language, relationship status, and a partner’s skills or English.
Two things about points are worth knowing before you start.
Every claim has to be provable. Points claimed and not evidenced are removed, and an expression of interest built on claims that cannot be supported causes problems later rather than earlier.
The score that gets an invitation moves. It is set by competition, not by a fixed threshold, so it varies by occupation and over time.
The wrong assessing authority, or an assessment that does not cover the years being claimed.
Employment claims that the evidence does not support. Payslips, contracts and references need to show the duties actually performed, not just the job title.
An expression of interest left to go stale while circumstances change.
Age. Points fall at set ages, and a delay of a few months can cost an invitation.
Regional obligations misunderstood. Provisional regional visas carry real conditions.
We advise on which pathway is realistic for your occupation and profile, prepare the skills assessment and the evidence behind each points claim, manage the expression of interest, and lodge the application once an invitation arrives.
Where an application has been refused, we can advise on the review options available.
We give you a straight assessment of your prospects, including when the honest answer is that a different pathway would serve you better. We cannot promise an invitation, a visa or a date.
Call 1300 368 933 to talk through your situation with an immigration lawyer.
