After completion of the studies, international students can choose to apply for permanent residency. Students can express their interest for applying permanent residency by applying through Australia’s SkillSelect Migration program. SkillSelect is an online service that permits aspiring migrants to lodge an EOI (Expression of Interest) that contains information about the attributes and skills assessed through a point test. As soon as you lodge an EOI, migrants may be invited to lodge a skilled visa application by Australian government or departments.
Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189)
Skilled Independent Visa is for points tested skilled workers who are not sponsored or nominated by an employer/family member or territory government or state. This visa permits you work and live in Australia as a permanent resident. To become eligible for this visa, you need to meet several requirements, which are as follows:-
- Must have nominated an occupation that is on the relevant skilled occupation list
- Must have obtained competency in English
- Must have achieved the score specified in your letter of invitation based on the factors in the points test
- Must not have turned 50 years of age
This visa lets you:-
- Stay in Australia indefinitely
- Work and Study in Australia
- Travel to and from Australia for five years
- Sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
- Apply for Australian Citizenship
- Enrol in Australia’s scheme for health related care and expenses
The Points Test
Apart from the requirements mentioned as above, applicants must meet the points test pass mark to gain permanent residency in Australia. This is currently 60 points for the Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189).
Several things which will be taken into consideration are:-
- Age:- You must be less than 50 years of age, when you are invited to apply for this visa. Based on your age, you can get upto 30 points.
- English Language ability: – You must have flair in English language when you are invited to apply or when you lodge an application. For a competent English level, no points are awarded. However, for proficient English, you can get up to 10 points and for superior English level, you can get upto 20 points.
The English language abilities of the candidates can be accessed through various tests such as IELTS, OET, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic. Cambridge Advanced Test results would be considered if the test was taken on or after January 1, 2015.
Skill Employment:- For skilled employment, you can get up to 20 points. To claim for skilled employment points, you must have at least 20 hours of paid work per week in your related occupation.
- Educational Qualifications
- Partner’s skills
- Accreditation in Australia’s community languages
You can receive 5 points if you meet Australian Study requirements and you have lived or studied in regional Australia or low population Metropolitan area. You also need to provide documents to prove that you have lived, such as gas, power or phone bills and rental agreements. You also need to submit documents where you studied and letters from your educational institutions.
Now you can transform your student visa into permanent residency in Australia with the help of West Highlander. We are an immigration consultancy based in Chandigarh offering sound advice and expert services to the students aspiring to settle in Australia. We are licensed, registered and have years of experience in the field. To know more, feel free to contact us. We will be more than happy to offer you expert services. We are the best immigration consultants in Chandigarh.