Migration Agent Registration Numbers 0639245

GENERAL SKILLED MIGRATION

Australia's General Skilled Migration Program is designed to attract people who have skills in particular occupations that are required in Australia. These occupations are listed on Australia's Skilled Occupation List (SOL).

If you want to apply to live permanently in Australia under one of the General Skilled Migration visa categories you will need to meet all of the following basic requirements:

• - you must be under 45 years of age at the time you apply (unless you have been invited to apply for a General Skilled Migration visa)

• - your occupation must be listed on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL)

• - an organisation in Australia, known as the relevant assessing authority, must assess your skills as being suitable for this occupation

• - you must have a high level of English

• - you must have recent skilled work experience or have recently completed an Australian qualification as the result of two years full-time study in Australia.

Lodging an application in Australia

To lodge a General Skilled Migration application and be granted your visa while you are in Australia, you must meet all of the following requirements. You must:

• - have completed an Australian qualification, which is a degree, diploma or trade qualification, while in Australia as a result of at least two years full-time study in a course on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS)

• - apply within 6 months of completing this qualification — noting that your date of completion is the date that you meet all academic requirements for this qualification, not the date your qualification is conferred/graduation

• have held a Student visa within 6 months of lodging your application – however ELICOS, government sponsored, AusAid and Defence Sector Students cannot apply

• - currently hold a substantive visa - that is, not a bridging visa - unless that bridging visa is associated with an application for a Graduate Skilled Temporary (subclass 497) visa

• - not have had a visa application refused or cancelled since last entering Australia unless you were subsequently granted another substantive visa

• - not have any conditions on your current visa that prevent you from making a further application to remain in Australia (conditions 8503 or 8535 are examples)

• - not have been unlawful at any time since entering Australia on your student visa

• - be in Australia at the time your visa is granted

Skilled Occupation List

To lodge a General Skilled Migration application, you must nominate an occupation on the Skilled Occupation List. Each occupation on the Skilled Occupation List has a points value. The Skilled Occupation List details:

• - all eligible skilled occupations for migration to Australia

• - the number of points awarded for each skilled occupation

• - the name and address of the Australian organisation approved to assess a person's skills and/or qualifications for migration purposes for each occupation.

Lodging an application from outside Australia

If you are living outside Australia and if you apply for one of these visas and your application is approved, you must be outside of Australia for your visa to be granted.

People temporarily in Australia studying, working or visiting, may also be eligible to apply. However:

• a further visa will not be granted to allow applicants to stay in Australia while their General Skilled Migration visa is being processed and applicants must be outside of Australia for their visa to be granted.

When you must apply from outside Australia

If any of the following applies to you, you must be outside Australia when you lodge your General Skilled Migration visa application:

• - you have had a visa application refused or cancelled since last entering Australia and you were not subsquently granted another a substantive visa

• - you have either condition 8503 or 8535, or another condition, on your current visa that prevents you from making a further application to remain in Australia.

New Zealand Citizens

As a New Zealand citizen you only need to apply for a permanent visa if you wish to:

• - access certain social security payments; and/or

• - obtain Australian citizenship; and/or

• - sponsor family members for permanent residence;

AND

you arrived in Australia on or after 27 February 2001 and you:

• - do not hold a certificate issued under the Social Security Act 1991, stating that you were residing in Australia on a particular date; or

• - were not in Australia on 26 February 2001 as a Special Category visa (subclass 444) holder; or

• - were outside Australia on 26 February 2001 and you have not spent at least 12 months in Australia as the holder of a Special Category visa (subclass 444) visa in the 2 years immediately before that date.

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