Most aspiring immigrants imagine cities like Melbourne and Sydney as their ultimate destinations – primarily owing to the cosmopolitan culture, multicultural environment, and thriving economies of these areas. Typically, people migrate to Australia in search of a higher standard of living, better job opportunities, and social benefits such as free healthcare and subsidized education. Since many people invest in this dream, Australia has developed a highly selective, merit-based immigration process.

Foreign nationals who enter the country in order to fulfill workforce shortages in the local labor market are termed ‘skilled immigrants’. For these individuals, there are a broad range of pathways for obtaining temporary or permanent residence. The eligibility criteria and application procedure for each visa category is different. Immigrants must select the visa that is most ideal for their profile and purpose.

However, to narrow it down, it is fair to say that most skilled immigrants relocate to Australia through the three General Skilled Migration (GSM) visas:

Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189) allows foreign skilled workers to permanently live and work anywhere in Australia.

Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190) allows foreign skilled workers – who are nominated by the local governing agency of an Australian state or territory – to permanently live and work in the country. Nominations are issued to those who can meet the skills requirements of the state/territory’s labor market. For the first two years after arrival, the visa holder must live in the nominating state/territory.

Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 491) allows foreign skilled workers – who are nominated by a state/territory governing agency or sponsored by an eligible relative – to live and work in a designated regional area of Australia for up to five years. The visa holder must commit to living and working in the region where their skills are in-demand, for the period mentioned on the visa (usually three years). After fulfilling the residence requirement, the visa holder can become eligible to apply for permanent residence.

All three of these Australia immigration pathways are point-tested i.e. eligibility is determined by a point allocation system. Each candidate who submits an Expression of Interest for one of these visa streams is allotted a point score based on relevant selection factors – including age, work experience, academic qualifications, English language skills, adaptability, etc. Only the highest-scoring profiles are invited to apply for the desired visa.

 The exclusivity of the GSM visas can be gauged by the fact that to even submit an EOI for one of these streams, candidates must score at least 65 points, in addition to fulfilling several detailed requirements. This is why most people who wish to migrate to Australia seek the assistance of immigration consultants who not only help with selecting a visa, increasing the point score and enhancing overall eligibility, but also submit a complete visa application on the immigrant’s behalf.