Australia Permanent Visa

AUSTRALIA PR VISA

Australia has always been a popular choice for individuals who desire to migrate to another country. The country has favorable factors such as a thriving economy which means more job opportunities. Australia promises a better quality of life and a multicultural society where there is peace and harmony.

Australia offers a permanent residency or PR visa to immigrants. The Australia PR visa has a validity of five years. With a PR visa, you can move into Australia along with your family. You can apply for citizenship after living in Australia for four years with an Australia PR visa.

2022-23 Australia Immigration Program

Each year, the Australian government increased the migration planning levels and invites a certain number of candidates under each migration program. In 2022-2023, there are better chances for the following streams and categories. As the country has many job opportunities, there is a lot of scope for candidates under skills streams.

Visa Stream	Visa Category	2022-23
Skill	Employer Sponsored	30000
	Skilled Independent	16652
	Regional	25000
	State/Territory Nominated	20000
	Business Innovation & Investment	9500
	Global Talent (Independent)	8448
	Distinguished Talent	300
Skill Total		109900
Family	Partner*	40500
	Parent	6000
	Child*	3000
	Other Family	500
Family Total		50000
Special Eligibility**		100
Total Migration Program		160000

BENEFITS OF HAVING A PR VISA

You can sponsor the PR of your relatives if they meet certain pre-requisites

You become eligible for Social Security benefits after two years of having an Australia PR visa

You can live and travel anywhere within Australia

You can travel to New Zealand and can even apply for a visa there

GENERAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

There are various categories under which you can apply for a Australia PR visa which have different eligibility requirements. But the general eligibility factors are as under:

Points Requirement: Points determine your eligibility for a PR visa You must score at least 65 points under the Points Grid. The below table describes the different criteria for scoring points:

Category	Maximum Points
Age (25-32 years)	30 points
English proficiency (8 bands)	20 points
Work Experience outside Australia (8-10 years)	15 points
Work Experience in Australia (8-10 years)	20 points
Education (outside Australia) – Doctorate degree	20 points
Niche skills such as Doctorate or master’s degree by research in Australia	10 points
Study in a regional area	5 points
Accredited in community language	5 points
Professional year in a skilled program in Australia	5 points
State sponsorship (190 visa)	5 points
Skilled spouse or de facto partner (Age, Skills & English language requirements to be met)	10 points
Spouse or de facto partner with ‘competent English’ (No need to meet Skills requirement or age factor)	5 points
Applicants without a spouse or de facto partner or where a spouse is an Australia citizen or PR holder	10 points
Relative or regional sponsorship (491 visa)	15 points

Age: Your age should be below 45 years to apply for a PR visa

Language Proficiency: You should have proof that you have a competent level of proficiency in the English language.

Skilled Occupation Lists (SOL): The applicant must choose an occupation that is available in the following skilled occupation lists. The list contains the occupations that are currently acceptable for migration to Australia. The occupations in the lists are updated regularly and reflect the changes in the Australian labor market. There are three categories of the SOL:

Medium- and long-term Strategic Skills List
Short-term Skilled Occupation List
Regional Occupations List

Eligibility points requirement for PR visa

65 points is the minimum points required to be eligible for PR visa, the higher you score on the eligibility calculation, the brighter the chances of you being invited to Apply for Australian PR. Scoring anywhere from 80 to 85 points can make you eligible for a quicker PR invitation to apply.

The following Australian visas require 65 points for eligibility for PR visa:

Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)

This visa is for those invited foreign workers that possess the skills required by the Australian government. With the subclass 189, the visa holder can live and work permanently anywhere in Australia.

No nominator or sponsor is needed.

You can only apply for this visa after being formally invited to do so.

You must be below 45 years of age to be able to apply.

Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)

Allows nominated skilled workers to live,work/study anywhere in nominates state/territory in Australia as permanent residents.

Like the subclass 189, to be able to apply for subclass 190 you must have received an invitation to apply.

With both subclasses 189 and 190, you must –

Score 65 on the points calculator
Receive an invitation to apply
Have an occupation on the Skilled Occupation List
Be in possession of a suitable skills assessment for the occupation

English test scores will also be required.

How are the eligibility points calculated?

The 65 points to be attained are calculated based on the following criteria:

Age: You will gain a maximum of 30 points if your age is between 25 to 32 years.

Age	Points
18-24 years	25
25-32 years	30
33-39 years	25
40-44 years	15

English proficiency:A score of 8 bands in the IELTS exam can give you a maximum of 20 points. However, the Australian immigration authorities allow applicants to take any of the English proficiency tests such as IELTS, PTE, TOEFL, etc. You can try for the required score in any of these tests.

Work experience: Skilled employment outside Australia with more than 8 years of experience in the last 10 years will give you 15 points, lesser years of experience means fewer points.

Skilled employment outside Australia	Points
Less than 3 years	0
3-4 years	5
5-7 years	10
8-10 years	15

Skilled employment in Australia with 8 to 10 years of experience from the date of application will give you a maximum of 20 points.

Skilled employment in Australia	Points
Less than 1 year	0
1-2 years	5
3-4 years	10
5-7 years	15
8-10 years	20

Education: Points for the education criteria depends on the educational qualification. Maximum points are given to a doctorate degree from an Australian university or a doctorate from a university outside Australia provided it is recognized by the Australian government.

Qualifications	Points
A Doctorate degree from an Australian university or institute outside Australia.	20
A Bachelor (or Masters) degree from an Australian university or institute outside Australia.	15
Diploma or trade qualification completed in Australia	10
Any qualification or award recognized by the relevant assessing authority for your nominated skilled occupation.	10
Masters by research or a Doctorate degree from an Australian educational institution in the STEM fields	10

Spouse application: If your spouse is also an applicant for the PR visa, you will be eligible for an additional points to your Skill Select Expression of Interest. To get these additional 10 points, your spouse must meet the following requirements:

Should be less than 45 years of age

Should have the basic competent level scores in English

Job occupation code should appear in the same occupation list as the primary applicant list

Based on the changes in the Australia points-based system from November 2019, applicants can gain points on the following criteria for spouse application. The table gives more details:

Spouse qualification	Points
Spouse has a PR visa or is an Australian citizen	10
Spouse has competent English and has a Positive Skill Assessment	10
Spouse has only competent English	5

Other qualifications: You can gain points if you meet any of the following criteria.

Study in a regional area

Accredited in community language

Professional year in a skilled program in Australia

State sponsorship (190 visa)

Relative or regional sponsorship (491 visa)

5 points

15 Points

While 65 is the minimum needed to be eligible for applying, getting an invitation to apply for Australian PR in 2022 is much easier with a score of 80.