Permanent Residency in Australia is a coveted status that most immigrants and international students dream for. When you become a permanent resident of Australia, you enjoy most of the privileges that Australian citizens do. You can live and work in Australia permanently, travel in and out of the country and eventually become an Australian citizen. Given the opportunities in the country and the high quality of life it assures, thousands of immigrants from countries around the world apply for Australian PR every year.Enter your text here
Obtaining an Australian PR is a transparent, straightforward process. Here are the steps.
- You check your eligibility and PR points yourself
- You take an English test
- You get your skills assessed
- You express interest
- You get invited to apply for the visa
- Submit application and complete payment
- Wait for the results
Checking your eligibility and PR points
The first step towards your PR application is to check your eligibility and the total PR points you possess. First, your occupation should be listed in the Skilled Occupation List (SOL). The list keeps changing every year based on the country's skill requirements. The list is available on the Home Affairs Ministry website for you to check.
Next, you need to make a good estimate of PR points you can accumulate. Australia's PR point system is a method of finding out the most valuable candidates by awarding points to various valuable aspects of their background. Learn the PR point system in detail here. The minimum score to become eligible to apply for PR is 65. At this stage, take the help of a migration counsellor to make the most accurate estimate of your PR points. You do not want to underestimate or overestimate your points here since it could adversely affect your visa prospects later.
Take a standard English test
As a potential immigrant and a future PR prospect, you are expected to possess a level of command over the English language. To prove your English language skills, you should take one of the five accepted English tests and achieve your best score to obtain the maximum PR points for English language skills later.
You can take one of the following five tests.
- IELTS
- TOEFL iBT
- PTE Academic
- OET
- Cambridge C1 Advanced Test
Skill Assessment
Skill assessment is the stage where your claims of relevant educational qualifications and work experience are assessed by authorities. Depending on your nominated occupation, you need to get your skills assessed by a specific assessment body. Find out who your assessing authority is from the Home Affairs website. You need to pay the fee and get positively assessed by them.
Expression of Interest
Expression of Interest (EOI) is done through an online portal called Skillselect. EOI is not a visa application. It is your expression of interest in migrating to Australia as a skilled worker to the government. While registering with this portal, you will be asked to fill in the details of your English test, skill assessment, your educational qualification and work experience. This registration process doesn't incur any cost.
Based on the details you provide on the portal, the system calculates your PR points. After this stage, the candidates will be invited to the next round based on their points. The higher the points, the earlier the invite will be.
Submission of Application
This is the last stage of the process in which you apply for the visa of your choice. As the first step, you need to complete the payment. Visa charges are currently AUD 4,045 for skilled work visas (subclass 189,190, 489 and 491).
Once you have paid the fee, you need to submit all the required documents within two months from the date of application. You should provide personal documents like birth certificate, national identity card, driver's licence, marriage certificate, police clearance document, your education documents, work experience certificates, salary slips, tax documents etc along with your English test and Skill assessment results.
Your documents will be scrutinized and any discrepancy at this stage could lead to rejection of your visa application. Therefore, take professional help and file all the necessary documents in the right time and form.
After a successful application, within a few months, you will be notified of the results. A PR grant letter will be issued to you if you are granted the visa.
Australian PR is difficult to obtain but not impossible. Especially, as an international student in Australia, you are at an advantage compared to your counterparts offshore. Being onshore, with the right professional guidance, you are at an advantage right from your university days. By making smart course choices matching the current needs of the country, by choosing the right visa at the right time after graduation, you can outrun your competition.
If you are an international student aspiring for Australian PR, book a free consultation session with our experienced migration consultants today. With their help, you can frame your PR strategy as per the latest policy updates and the job and migration trends of the near future. Fast-track your migration success.
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