Work visa Australia

The Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482) allows employers to sponsor foreign workers with specific skills to temporarily fill shortages. It offers three streams:

• Short-term - allows you to live and work for up to two years (exemptions apply)
• Medium-term - allows you to live and work for up to four years (exemptions apply)
• Labour agreement - allows you to live and work for a maximum of four years (exemptions apply) depending on your labour agreement

Eligibility requirements for a temporary skilled shortage visa include:

• Nomination from a Government-approved sponsor
• Have the necessary skills for the job 
• English language proficiency 

The Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa (subclass 186) is a permanent residence visa that allows skilled foreign workers nominated by their Australian employer to live and work in Australia. It has three streams:

• Temporary Residence Transition 
• Direct Entry 
• Labour agreement 

Eligibility requirements include:

• Must have a job offer from an Australian employer
• Meet skills and qualification requirements
• Pass health and character assessments

This visa allows skilled workers who have been nominated by their employer to live and work in regional areas of Australia.

Eligibility requirements include:

• Must have a job offer from a regional employer
• Be on a subclass 457 or 482 visa
• Meet skills and qualification requirements
• Pass health and character assessments 
• Evidence that you have worked full-time for your employer for three years or more (exemptions can apply)

This skilled regional visa is a temporary visa that allows skilled workers and their families to live, work, and study in designated regional areas of Australia for up to five years. After three years, skilled regional visa holders are eligible to apply for permanent residency.

Eligibility requirements include:

• Receive either a nomination from a state or territory government agency or be sponsored by an eligible relative 
• Await an invite from the Australian government to apply 
• Your occupation must be on the skilled occupation list
• Have a suitable skills assessment
• Score 65+ points when you submit your expression of interest

This temporary skilled visa addresses regional labour shortages, allowing skilled workers and their families to live and work in designated regional areas of Australia for up to five years.

Eligibility requirements include:

• Receive a nomination from an approved employer
• Your occupation must be on the skilled occupation list
• Have a suitable skills assessment
• Meet skills and qualification requirements
• Pass health and character assessments

The employer-sponsored stream for this visa provides a pathway to permanent residency for those who meet the criteria, including working and living in a regional area for at least three years.

The Temporary Graduate Visa allows international students who have recently completed their studies to live, work, and study in Australia for up to six years. There are four streams for this visa:

• Graduate work stream - allows recent graduates with qualifications relevant to occupation shortages to stay between 18 months and five years
• Post-study work stream - allows recent graduates with Australian degrees to live, work, and study for two to four years, depending on your degree
• Second post-study work stream - allows recent graduates with the Temporary Graduate visa (first post-study work stream or replacement stream) who gained their degree in a regional part of Australia to live, work, and study for one to four years 
• Replacement stream - allows those who lost time on their Temporary Graduate visa due to the pandemic to live, work and study for 18 months to six years.

The Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) is a permanent visa that invites eligible people with certain skills to live, work, and study in Australia without the need for employer, state, or territory government sponsorship. There are three streams, each with their own eligibility criteria:

• Points tested stream
• New Zealand stream
• Hong Kong stream

The Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) is a permanent visa for nominated skilled workers to reside and work in Australia. 

To qualify, applicants must:

• Be invited to apply and then nominated by an Australian state or territory government 
• Have the relevant skills for the occupation
• Be under 45 when invited to apply
• Score 65+ points on the skills test
• Be proficient in English 
• Meet the skills, health, and character requirements

This provisional visa aims to attract business owners, entrepreneurs, and investors who can contribute to the Australian economy and create jobs. It has several streams:

• Business Innovation 
• Investor
• Significant Investor 
• Business Innovation Extension
• Significant Investor Extension 
• Premium Investor 
• Entrepreneur 

Eligibility varies between streams but for all, you must:

• Provide an expression of interest
• Be nominated and invited to apply

This visa is for business owners, investors, and entrepreneurs and serves as the pathway from the provisional subclass 188 visa to permanent residency. There are five streams, each with their own criteria:

• Business Innovation 
• Investor 
• Significant Investor 
• Premium Investor 
• Entrepreneur

The Skilled Regional visa allows skilled workers and their families to live and work in regional areas of Australia for up to four years. Eligibility depends on the pathway:

• Invited pathway - you must be nominated or sponsored, invited to apply, showcase a skill on the skilled visa list, and score 65 points minimum in the points test
• Extended stay pathway - you must hold a subclass 475, 487, 495, or 496 visa before you can apply to extend your stay
• Subsequent entry pathway - this is for family members of skilled worked on a subclass 475, 487, 489, 495 or 496 visa

This visa provides a pathway to permanent residency for individuals who have lived and worked in regional Australia or a designated area for two or more years on a subclass 489, 495, 496, 475 or 487 visa.

To qualify, applicants must:

• Meet residency and employment criteria
• Have complied with the conditions of their provisional visa
• Have proficient English language skills
• Meet health and character requirements

This provisional visa allows eligible engineering graduates to gain up to 18 months of skilled work experience in Australia. It does not require sponsorship by an employer and allows visa holders to live, work, and study in Australia. It can serve as a pathway to other skilled visas in Australia for those wishing to continue their stay.

Eligibility requirements include:

• Evidence of completing an engineering course in the last two years which resulted in a degree or higher qualification in an engineering discipline, such as: 

• Civil, structural, chemical, or environmental engineering   
• Electrical and electronics engineering  
• Mechanical, production and plant engineering  
• Mining and material engineering  

• Be under 31
• Have not previously had a 485 or 476 visa 
• Meet health and character requirements
• Be proficient in English or hold a valid passport from the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand or Republic of Ireland

This visa enables people with certain provisional skilled regional visas, such as the subclass 494 or 491 skilled visa, to live and work in Australia permanently. There are two streams:

• Regional provisional stream - requirements include holding and adhering to an eligible visa for three years minimum and reaching a specific income threshold
• Hong Kong stream - applicants must have a Hong Kong passport or British National passport, and meet the visa and residency requirements