Visas

What you need to know
How to apply

General Skilled Migration Program (Visas)

At Australian Migration Specialists, and as Australian Registered Migration Agents, we are committed to ensuring you and your family every success in your journey to immigrate to Australia.  We make it our mission to assist you and your family to be able to live in Australia, work in Australia and study in Australia. 

Basic Criteria to be met for all General Skilled Migration visas

  • Age - you must be under 45 years of age at the date of application
  • English language - you must have sufficient ability in the English language
  • Qualifications - you are required to have a tertiary qualification (usually a university degree or a trade) and your qualification must have been assessed by the relevant assessing authority in Australia.
  • Nominated occupation - when you apply you will need to nominate an occupation fitting your skills and qualifications. This occupation must be on the Skilled Occupations List in the case of the subclass 189 visa or on one of the State/Territory lists for the subclass 190 visa
  • Medical and character checks - you must be able to satisfy the criteria for both medical and character requirements

If you are a qualified professional or trades person with work experience that will benefit the Australian economy, and your occupation is on Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), this visa is for you.

You must also be under 45 years of age and have a suitable skill assessment.

In addition to meeting the basic requirements mentioned above, you are also required to obtain a minimum of 65 points test on the points test, with points being awarded for age, English language ability, specific work experience, qualification, spouse skills, Australian skilled work experience, Australian qualifications and fluency in one of Australia's major community languages.

This is a permanent residence visa. It lets you and any member of your family unit who has also been granted this visa:

  • live in Australia indefinitely
  • work in Australia
  • study in Australia
  • enrol in Medicare, Australia's scheme for health-related care and expenses
  • apply for Australian citizenship (if you are eligible)
  • sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
  • travel to and from Australia for five years from the date the visa is granted (after that time, you will need a resident return visa or another visa to return to Australia).

If you are a qualified professional or trades person with work experience that will benefit the Australian economy, and your occupation is NOT on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), but is on the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) as well as being on one of the State/Territory Migration Plans (STMPs), then you may be eligible for this visa.

You must also be under 45 years of age, have a suitable skill assessment and have a State/Territory nomination.

In addition to meeting the basic requirements mentioned above, you are also required to obtain a minimum of 65 points test on the points test, with points being awarded for age, English language ability, specific work experience, qualification, spouse skills, Australian skilled work experience, Australian qualifications and fluency in one of Australia's major community languages.

If you accept a nomination, the states and territories might require you to:

  • live in the nominating state or territory for a specified minimum time
  • tell the state or territory your address, both before and after you arrive in Australia
  • be prepared to complete surveys and providing other post-arrival information they ask for
  • meet any of their other requirements.

Each state or territory government agency has its own process for nominating expressions of interest

This is a permanent residence visa. It lets you and any member of your family unit who has also been granted this visa:

  • live in Australia indefinitely
  • work in Australia
  • study in Australia
  • enrol in Medicare, Australia's scheme for health-related care and expenses
  • apply for Australian citizenship (if you are eligible)
  • sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
  • travel to and from Australia for five years from the date the visa is granted (after that time, you will need a resident return visa or another visa to return to Australia).

Unlike the two visas mentioned, this is a temporary residency visa which leads to permanent residency at a later stage.

In order to qualify for this visa you will need to meet the basic criteria and achieve the necessary points on the points test. However, under this particular visa category extra points are awarded if you are sponsored by a close relative or nominated by a State/ Territory government agency. The proviso for family sponsorship under this visa category is that your relative usually resides in a designated area of Australia.

If you accept a nomination, the states and territories might require you to

  • live and work in a designated regional area for three years
  • tell the state or territory your address, both before and after you arrive in Australia
  • be prepared to complete surveys and providing other post-arrival information they ask for
  • meet any of their other requirements.

Each state or territory government agency has its own process for nominating expressions of interest

The current passmark for this particular visa category is 65 points however, because of ceilings imposed on certain occupations, you may in fact be required to obtain more than 65 points in order to receive an invitation to apply for this visa.

To be able to apply for this visa you need to submit an expression of interest and then be invited through SkillSelect to apply. You will only receive an invitation through SkillSelect on this visa program once you have been nominated by a State/Territory government.

This visa allows you and your family to

  • live in Australia for up to five years in a designated regional area
  • work in Australia in a designated regional area
  • travel in and out of Australia while the visa is valid.

This visa provides a pathway to permanent residence through the Skilled-Regional (Residence) visa.

Interested in applying for this program?

Start your application now!

As Australian Registered Migration Agents (9803463), we at Australian Migration Specialists will be happy to assist you in navigating the minefield that has to be negotiated in the Australian immigration process. We would love to assist you to live in Australia, work in Australia and study in Australia. If you leave your contact details below we will contact you to discuss your migration to Australia. Alternatively you can complete our more comprehensive Skilled Migration Assessment.

Interested, fill in your details below

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Speak to our Consultants

Speak to a Australian Migration Specialists Consultant Michelle Oztas: +27 11 783 9440

Speak to a Australian Migration Specialists Consultant Tracey Lawrence: +27 82 419 3696

Registered Migration Agent No. 9803463

Contact Details

Tel: +27 11 783 9440


Australian Mobile: +61 404 371 683

The Business Exchange
116 Oxford Road, Melrose Estates
Johannesburg, Gauteng
South Africa, 2196

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