Skilled Migration is most suitable for people who have trade or university qualifications and in some cases, work experience in an occupation that is listed on the Skilled Occupations List.

The qualifications can be either Australian or overseas qualifications and if you are a student applying within 6 months of completing a course in Australia (the minimum duration must be 2 years), then you will be exempt from the work experience requirement. Please note that the date of completion of a course and the date of graduation is not always the same. The 6 months is counted from the dae of actual course completion.

Skilled Migration is divided into the following 2 categories:

Offshore General Skilled - for applicants generally outside Australia who have not applied within 6 months of course completion, or who have overseas qualifications.

Onshore General Skilled - for overseas students who  have completed their studies in Australia and apply within the 6 months course completion date.

General Requirements

The general requirements for the Skilled visas are:

Age: You must be under 45 years of age when you apply

English language: You must have sufficient English language ability to work in Australia. If English is not your first language, you may need to undertake English language testing to establish your English language ability.

Occupation: You must nominate a skilled occupation which is relevant to your skills and qualifications. The nominated occupation must be on the Skilled Occupations List. You would need to obtain a favourable skills assessment in this occupation prior to making your application for skilled migration. This will involve applying for your skills assessment with the relevant skills assessing authority for your occupation.

Recent Work Experience: Generally, you need to show that you have worked in a skilled occupation for a set period of time, depending on the occupation that you nominate. If you are an international student who has completed Australian qualifications, you may qualify for a waiver of this requirement.

The current pass marks for the Points Test are:

- 100: If you are sponsored by an Australian relative; or
- 120: If you are not sponsored by an Australian relative.

If your application for skilled migration is successful, you will be granted a visa allowing you to reside permanently in Australia with full work rights.

If you would like to check your eligibility to apply under any of the Skilled Migration categories or would like assistance with an existing application (that is, an application that has already been lodged), then please contact our office. We will make a comprehensive assessment of your likely eligibility and review with you the best way to proceed with your application at the earliest convenient date suitable for you.

For further information regarding the current skilled visa program, please click on this link to view the Department of Immigration and Citizenship's website:

http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/visa-options.htm