Immigration Australia Skilled Migration Process

Currently Australian skilled migration program is specifically demand driven and controlled by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). This requires the potential skilled migrants to register an Expression of Interest (EOI) with DHA for their migration; DHA then invites the successful candidates to lodge migration visa application based on their merit (points).

The following steps are involved in the migration process:

• Initial Assessment : The applicants must self assess themselves or get assessed by qualified immigration advisor, if they meet the basic requirements like age, qualification, experience and also ensure they make the threshold points to apply (65 points or higher in some occupations).
• Skills Assessment : Every primary skilled applicant’s skills and qualifications need to be assessed by the designated assessment authority approved by DHA. There are a number of specialised assessing authorities to assess occupations in different skill streams like TRA for trade occupations, ACS for computing professionals and Engineers Australia for Engineers. Procedure, cost and processing times varies through assessing authorities. (8 weeks – 16 weeks)

• English Language Test : English language test is a mandatory requirement for skilled migration with minimum of 6 bands in each module of IELTS or equivalent score in other testing system. Some occupations like medical profession and teachers etc have higher English language requirements. In some circumstances English test result is required prior to skills assessment.

• State Sponsorship : Eligible applicants can approach the state migration bodies to sponsor them provided their occupation is in shortage in that region. This is required for applicants who are not able to make the threshold points on their own or whose occupations are not in the primary skilled occupation list (MLTSSL). State migration authorities have their own migration plans and eligibility requirements for state sponsorship. (2 weeks – 8 weeks)

• Expression of Interest : After completing the English test and skills assessment the applicant needs to lodge and EOI with DHA providing detailed information about education qualifications, nominated occupation, skills assessment and English language test. DHA does not charge any fee for registering an EOI and the EOI remains in DHA system for 2 years unless the applicant is invited by DHA to lodge a visa application. The applicants with highest points within each occupation category have priority to be invited to apply for a visa. (2 weeks – 2 years, usually within 2 weeks – 2 months).

• Visa Application : Once the applicant receives an invitation to lodge a visa application, the applicant must lodge a visa application with 60 days of receiving the invitation and provide documentation to prove all the claims made in the EOI. DHA then assesses all the claims, documentation and makes required investigations and hence approves the visa application. Currently DHA is taking 5-8 months to process onshore applications and 8-10 months to process applications from India.

The whole process could take between 12 – 18 months depending on the skills assessment authority and requirement of state sponsorship.

REVC Rapid Migration team can assist you through the whole skilled Migration process and make your application process smooth and stress free. We can guide and assist you with each step of the application as we have over 12 years of experience in Australian immigration and education industry.

Your skilled migration visa application will be processed under the direct supervision of an experienced MARA registered agent (MARN – 0744076)

PS: As this is a major decision of your life don’t risk your application by availing services of unregistered or inexperienced agent for your skilled migration visa application.