GENERAL SKILLED MIGRATION PROGRAM (GSM)
Australia attracts a large number of immigrants. The country has developed and acquired a modern look precisely due to the labor of constantly arriving migrants, for whom Australia has become a new home, where they and their families were able to enjoy a better life. There are several ways to immigrate to Australia. One way is to participate in the professional immigration program. The essence of this program is that immigration to Australia is possible based on skills, work experience, and qualifications for tradespeople and skilled professionals. Visas within the General Skilled Migration program are points tested and are either independent, State/Territory sponsored, or family-sponsored permanent visas. The Australian Government is committed to ensuring that among immigrants there are people who, with their professional skills, can contribute to the further development of the country. For this, a special immigration program General Skilled Migration (GSM) was developed. The Program has several subclasses of visas, accordingly, professionals of various skills, as well as their family members, can obtain a permanent visa. The register of occupations is updated, as a rule, once or twice a year, and contains a very extensive list o occupations that in demand in Australia. Thus this program provides excellent opportunities for those with skills and a good level of English. Even if you, as it seems to you, could not find your profession in the list, this does not mean that it is not there, perhaps it just has a different name. As practice shows, this is a common mistake of those who study the occupations list on their own. There are also constantly updated lists of in-demand professions for individual states, which need to be carefully studied. If you wish to get an appraisal of your chances for participation in the General Skilled Migration (GSM) alone with points test, I invite you to sign up for an interview.
Skilled Visa Subclassess:
Subclass 189 Skilled Independent Permanent visa
Features: This is a Permanent Residency visa for Points-tested skilled workers who are not sponsored by an employer or family member or nominated by a state or territory Australian government agency. It allows you to live and work in Australia as a permanent resident. For the Skilled Independent (Points-tested) stream you need to submit an expression of interest. If you are a New Zealand citizen you may be eligible to apply for the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) (New Zealand) stream. What you can do with a 189 visa: This is a permanent visa. It lets you:
- stay in Australia indefinitely;
- work and study in Australia;
- enroll in Medicare, Australia’s scheme for health-related care and expenses;
- sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence;
- travel to and from Australia for five (5) years (see Resident Return visa);
- apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible
- You must have a relevant occupation on a relevant skilled occupation list (MLTSSL);
- You must have a suitable skills assessment for the occupation;
- You must have lodged an EOI and be invited to apply;
- You must meet the points test pass mark of 65 points (as of 1 July 2019);
- You must be aged older than 18 and under 45 years of age;
- You must meet minimum standards of English language proficiency (IELTS 6666) Subject to the skills assessment bodies requirements;
- You must meet health and character requirements;
- You must have no debt to the Australian Government.
Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated visa
Nomination by an Australian State or Territory government agency Each State and Territory Government has its own list of occupations in demand in their area and amount of invitations they are able to issue. There may be specific requirements in relation to your work experience, English language ability, or specialized skills, depending on a particular State or Territory government agency requirements. If you are nominated by a state or territory agency, you will be invited to apply for the visa. If you are invited, you have 60 calendar days to apply for the visa. We will then process your visa application. What you can do with a 190 visa This is a permanent visa. It lets you:
- stay in Australia indefinitely;
- work and study in Australia;
- enroll in Medicare, Australia’s scheme for health-related care and expenses;
- sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence;
- travel to and from Australia for five (5) years (see Resident Return visa);
- apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible
- You must have a relevant occupation on ta relevant skilled occupation list;
- You must have lodged an EOI before being invited to apply;
- You must have been nominated by an Australian State or Territory government agency before being invited to apply;
- You must have a suitable skills assessment for the occupation;
- You must meet the points test pass mark of 65 points (as of 1 July 2019);
- You must be aged older than 18 and under 45 years of age;
- You must meet minimum standards of English language proficiency (IELTS 6666) Subject to the skills assessment bodies requirements;
- You must meet health and character requirements;
- You must have no debt to the Australian Government.
Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional – Provisional visa
The new 491 visa, Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) subclass 491 visa will enable eligible skilled workers and their families to live, work and study in designated regional areas of Australia for 5 years. Visa holders will be eligible to apply for a Permanent Residence visa after three years. With the 491 visa, you can:
- stay in Australia for 5 years
- live, work and study in a designated regional area of Australia in line with your visa conditions. A simplified definition of regional Australia for skilled migration purposes includes all areas of Australia except the metropolitan areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Perth;
- make multiple travels in and out of Australia;
- apply for permanent residence, if eligible through the permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191) which commences on 16 November 2022
- work in any occupation and for any employer in line with the work and residence conditions attached to your visa.
- You must have no history of visa cancellation;
- You must have a relevant occupation on a relevant skilled occupation list;
- You must lodge an EOI before being invited to apply;
- You must be nominated by an Australian State or Territory government agency or sponsored by an eligible relative before being invited to apply;
- You must have a suitable skills assessment for the occupation;
- You must meet the points test pass mark of 65 points (as of 1 July 2019);
- You must be aged older than 18 and under 45 years of age;
- You must meet minimum standards of English language proficiency (IELTS 6666) Subject to the skills assessment bodies requirements;
- You must meet health and character requirements;
- You must have no debt to the Australian Government.
Sponsorship by an eligible relative (Family stream) Please note that for the 491 family stream your occupation must be on the MLTSSL list. Your sponsor must be:
- 8 years old or older
- usually resident in a designated area of Australia
- be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen
- be your or your partner’s eligible relative
An eligible relative can be:
- a parent;
- a child or step-child;
- a brother, sister, adoptive brother, adoptive sister, step-brother or step-sister;
- an aunt, uncle, adoptive aunt, adoptive uncle, step-aunt or step-uncle;
- a nephew, niece, adoptive nephew, adoptive niece, step-nephew or step-niece;
- a grandparent;
- a first cousin.
Sponsorship must be approved before you can be granted a visa.
Subclass 191 Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional)
This visa legislation commences from November 2022.
You hold a Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa and:
- have lived and worked in the designated regional area, whilst holding a 491 visa, for at least three (3) years and have a taxable income at or above a specific income threshold ($53,900) for at least three years; If you have a partner,only one of you needs to show this salary level (through tax returns). This means that in some cases, the dependent partner on the 491 visa can be the main applicant for the191visa;
- both primary and secondary applicants have complied with the conditions of the eligible visa you hold or have held;
- both primary and secondary applicants meet health and character requirements;
- both primary and secondary applicants have no debt to the Australian Government.
You hold a Subclass 494 skilled employer-sponsored regional (provisional) visa and:
- have lived and worked in the designated regional area, whilst holding a 494 visa, for at least three (3) years and have a taxable income at or above a specific income threshold ($53,900) for at least three years;
- both primary and secondary applicants have complied with the conditions of the eligible visa you hold or have held;
- both primary and secondary applicants meet health and character requirements;
- both primary and secondary applicants have no debt to the Australian Government.
Global Talent Independent program (GTI)
On 04th of November 2019, the Hon David Coleman MP officially launched the Global Talent – Independent program which offers a streamlined, priority visa pathway for highly skilled and talented individuals to work and live permanently in Australia. The program is designed to attract skilled migrants at the top future-focused fields to Australia. The program brings the best talent from around the world. This creates opportunities for Australians by transferring skills, promoting innovation, and creating job opportunities.
To express interest for priority processing within the program, a candidate will be highly skilled in one of the seven target sectors and be able to command a salary that meets the high income threshold or be a highly graded recent PhD or Masters Graduates. Target sectors
- AgTech;
- Space and Advanced Manufacturing;
- FinTech;
- Energy and Mining Technology;
- MedTech;
- Cyber Security
- Quantum Information, Advanced Digital, Data Science and ICT;
Expected salary threshold Candidates should have the ability to attract a salary at or above the Fair Work high income threshold (FWHIT), which is currently AU$153,600. This figure is adjusted annually on 1 July. In assessing whether a candidate is likely to have the ability to meet this salary threshold, the Department will consider:
- current salary evidenced through payslips or a contract, or
- future job offers outlining remuneration, or
- recent PhD or Masters graduates in the target sectors.
Global Talent Employer Sponsored Programme (GTES)
The Global Talent Employer-Sponsored Programme allows employers to sponsor overseas workers for highly-skilled niche positions that cannot be filled:
- by Australian workers
- through other standard visa programs – in particular, the Short-term stream and Medium-term stream of the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa
Before the Department enters into an agreement, businesses must be able to demonstrate that they can’t fill the position through existing skilled visa programs. Businesses will then be able to sponsor workers for a TSS visa under the GTES. The GTES is designed to benefit Australia and Australian workers. It aims to bring globally mobile, highly-skilled, and specialized individuals to Australia who can act as ‘job multipliers’ in Australian businesses, helping them to hire more local staff and fill critical areas of need.
Any position filled through a GTES agreement must provide opportunities for Australians by, for example:
- creating new jobs for Australians
- transferring skills and knowledge to Australian workers
Businesses must demonstrate how you realize these opportunities throughout the GTES agreement period. The main features of the GTES are:
- trusted employers can access highly-skilled roles — business is are not restricted to occupation lists for the TSS visa short-term or medium-term streams
- there are 2 streams – Established business and Startups
- the earning threshold for applicants is higher than under the standard TSS stream
- business can negotiate variations on the standard TSS visa requirements
- the visa is valid for up to four (4) years and allows access to a permanent residence pathway
- business can negotiate age requirements for the permanent residence pathway
- priority processing of GTES agreements
Approved businesses must meet specific criteria and requirements to be considered for the GTES.
Subclass 858 Distinguished Talent visa
This is a permanent visa for people who have an internationally recognized record of exceptional and outstanding achievement in an eligible field.
- Must apply inside of Australia or in Australia;
- You must have an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement in your profession;
- You must be still prominent in the area;
- You would be an asset to the Australian community;
- You must have no difficulty getting employment, or in becoming established independently in your field in Australia;
- You must have be nominated by:
- an Australian peak body or organisation;
- an Australian citizen;
- an Australian permanent resident, or
- an eligible New Zealand citizen;
They must also:
- have a national reputation in your field;
- be highly regarded throughout Australia.
All fees are in Australian dollars and are for my professional immigration services only. Any disbursements or miscellaneous expenses incurred that are associated with the migration process (e.g. visa application charges, translation costs, etc.) are not included. Please note these fees do not include visa application charges payable to the Department of Home Affairs (DoHA) and cover only visa application-related services. Immigration Services for the GSM visas include:
- Planning and full support of your entire immigration process from start to finish, taking into account all your circumstances;
- Comprehensive ongoing and personalized advice, provision of information and documentation in all aspects of the immigration case;
- Assistance with preparation of all necessary documents;
- Preparation and submission of all applications, required documents and forms on behalf of the client to the skills assessment bodies of Australia, representing clients in these organizations;
- Certification of copies of documents, subject to the inspection of the originals by the Registered Migration Agent;
- Preparation and submission of an application with all required documents and forms on behalf of the client to the State Nomination Australian Governmental bodies, representing clients in these organizations. Preparation and submission of SkillSelect Expression of Interest (EoI);
- Preparation and submission of a visa application to the Department of Home Affairs (DoHA) on behalf of the client and ongoing representation of interests of the client there;
- Payment of all application’s fees and charges on behalf of the client;
- Post-immigration advice to the client regarding moving to Australia, employment, housing search, opening bank accounts, obtaining medical insurance, registration with Medicare and Centrelink, obtaining Tax Identification Number, placement of children to schools or Daycare & Kindergarten.
Additional services for the GSM visas that are provided for an extra charge or by third parties include:
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Translation of the documents by a NAATI accredited translator. It is possible to use alternatives to the NAATI translations as long as they are accordingly certified. Though such translations may not be accepted by the Australian Post Office when applying for the Australian Passport. Please discuss fees for the translations directly with NAATI accredited translators. An average cost of all translations required for a visa application ranges between AU$200.00 to AU$1,500.00.
- Assistance with Syllabi for Accounting qualifications skills assessments;
-
Comprehensive submissions writing for extremely complex cases.
In the case of selecting a Licensed Australian Migration Agent, you are primarily guided by the question of the cost of services, I will match or better any genuine offer made to you in writing by another migration agent, provided that it does not contradict the legislation of Australia.
- (Skilled Independent (subclass 189) visa) – contact us;
- (Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa) – contact us;
- Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491) visa – contact us;
- Distinguished Talent visa category– contact us.
For those who are interested, the range of average fees for professional services, charged by registered migration agents is available on the MARA web site.
Respectfully,
Australian Registered Migration Agent
Viktor Ovcharenko
MARN 0964258
