Summary of general skilled migration information
Australia’s general skilled migration program targets people who are highly skilled, are under 45 years of age, have a high level of English language ability and who will quickly make a contribution to the Australian economy.
To make a valid application, applicants or their spouses must be able to satisfy essential criteria. If you are not able to satisfy these basic requirements, you should not continue with a general skilled migration application.
See: Basic Requirements.
See also: Lodging an application
To apply for skilled migration, you need to select the appropriate visa. There are three categories:
- Offshore general skilled – for applicants generally outside Australia;
- Onshore general skilled – for overseas students currently studying in Australia;
- Onshore New Zealand citizen – for NZ citizens currently in Australia.
Within these three categories, there are the following types of visas:
- independent – for those who meet the basic requirements and do not have a sponsor, or who choose not to be sponsored or nominated by a State or Territory government;
- skill matching – for those wanting to be involved in the skill matching process and who are seeking to be nominated by a State or Territory government or an employer;
- designated area sponsored – for those who have a sponsor and an assurer. The sponsor must live in a designated area, and you must be related to your sponsor;
- Australian sponsored – for those who have a sponsor and an assurer, but the sponsor either lives outside a designated area or lives in Sydney or a selected area (Gosford, Newcastle or Wollongong). If your sponsor lives in Sydney or a ‘selected area,’ you must nominate an occupation listed on the Sydney and Selected Areas Skilled Shortage List (SSASSL). You must be related to your sponsor.
The following links will take you to general information about each visa subclass.
- Offshore general skilled
- Skilled蜂ndependent
- Skilled蜂ndependent Regional (Provisional) [SIR]
- Skilled亡tate Territory Nominated Independent
- Skill Matching
- Skilled縫esignated Area-Sponsored
- Skilled泡ustralian-Sponsored
- Onshore general skilled
- Skilled蜂ndependent Overseas Student
- Skilled-Independent Regional (Provisional) [SIR]
- Skilled縫esignated Area-sponsored Overseas Student
- Skilled泡ustralian-sponsored Overseas Student
- Graduate Skilled Temporary
- Onshore New Zealand citizen
- Skilled飽nshore Independent New Zealand Citizen
- Skilled飽nshore Designated Area-sponsored New Zealand Citizen
- Skilled飽nshore Australian-sponsored New Zealand Citizen