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.

This page provides summary information on May 20, 2025. Australian immigration law is complex and it changes on a regular basis. If you have any additional questions or require further clarification, please, do not hesitate and contact me regarding this matter and, if appropriate, to arrange a mutually convenient time for an appointment.

Respectfully,
Australian Registered Migration Agent
Viktor Ovcharenko
MARN 0964258

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Respectfully,
Australian Registered Migration Agent
Viktor Ovcharenko MARN 0964258

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