Australia has always been a popular destination for migrants. The Australian government offers numerous options to immigrants to apply for a Permanent Residency in the country. The visa is valid for five years. With this visa you can move to Australia along with your family. After five years of being a PR visa holder, you can apply for citizenship.
Australia offers many options to apply for the PR visa. You can choose the appropriate option based on your eligibility and requirements. Some of the popular options for Australian PR:
Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189): This visa option is suitable for skilled workers. However, this visa cannot receive sponsorship.
Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190): This visa is applicable to skilled workers who have a nomination from an Australian state/Territory. For this visa, you will have to prove that your occupation exists in the Skilled Occupation List.
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Subclass 491 Visa: This visa has replaced the Subclass 489 Visa as a pathway to a PR visa. Under this visa skilled workers and their families must live, work and study in designated regional areas for 5 years. They will be eligible for a PR visa after three years.
Migration targets for 2021
The Australian government releases its migration target for each year under each migration category. The highlights of the migration target released for 2021 are:
- The 15,000 places allocated for the Global Talent Independent Program (GTI) indicates that the Australian government is keen to invite highly skilled professionals to work and live permanently in Australia in 2021.
- The places allocated to the Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) is 13,500 places for 2021.
- The total number of places allocated under the Skilled stream is 79,600 places.
- The total number of places allocated to the family stream is 77,300 places.
This table has details of migration targets under each category:
| Skilled Stream | 2020-21 | Family Stream | 2020-21 |
| Employer Sponsored (subclass 482 and 186) | 22,000 | Partner | 72,300 |
| Skilled Independent
(subclass 189) |
6,500 | Parent | 4,500 |
| Regional (subclass 494) | 11,200 | Other Family | 500 |
| State/Territory Nominated (subclass 190 and 491) | 11,200 | Family Total | 77,300 |
| Business Innovation & Investment program | 13,500 | ||
| Global Talent | 15,000 | ||
| Distinguished Talent | 200 | ||
| Skill Total | 79,600 |
The application process, eligibility requirements also undergo a periodic churn in tune with the government policies and programs.
Here are details of the eligibility requirements to apply for a PR visa in 2021.
Eligibility requirements for PR visa
Points Requirement: Points determine your eligibility for a PR visa You must score at least 65 points under the Point’s Grid. The below table describes the different criteria for scoring points:
| Category | Maximum Points |
| Age (25-33 years) | 30 points |
| English proficiency (8 bands) | 20 points |
| Work Experience outside Australia (8-10 years)
Work Experience in Australia (8-10 years) |
15 points
20 points |
| Education (outside Australia)
Doctorate degree |
20 points |
| Niche skills such as Doctorate or master’s degree in Australia | 5 points |
| Study in a regional area
Accredited in community language Professional year in a skilled program in Australia State sponsorship (190 visa) |
5 points
5 points 5 points 5 points |
Age: Your age should be below 45 years to apply for a PR visa
Language Proficiency: You should have proof that you have a competent level of proficiency in the English language.
Health and character: Applicants should have good health and character
Skills: Applicants must have their skills assessed by certifying authorities in Australia. The applicant must get a Skill Assessment done from an evaluating expert.
Occupation: The applicant must nominate his occupation in Australia’s Skilled Occupation List (SOL).
The applicant must choose an occupation that is available in the SOL or the CSOL list. The SOL list contains the occupations that are currently acceptable for migration to Australia. The occupations in the SOL are updated regularly and reflect the changes in the Australian labor market. There are three categories of the SOL:
- Short-term Skilled Occupation List
- Medium- and long-term Strategic Skills List
- Consolidated Sponsored Occupation List
- Occupations list applies to the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) subclass 491 Visa (released in November2019).
The applicant must have supporting evidence such as reports and testaments.
Read: Highly recommend Y-Axis for consulting for Australian PR
Eligibility criteria and PR visa approval
Scoring the minimum 65 points under the General Skilled Migration (GSM) visa programs does not necessarily mean that you will get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for the PR visa.
The number of ITAs can vary based on the number of candidates who have applied for the nominated occupation and the current occupation ceiling and the time of the year.
Family stream visa
As mentioned earlier, 77,300 places have been allocated to the Family stream of which a major share of places is allocated to partner visas (72,300).
Most of these places are expected to be filled by those already waiting for finalization of their visa applications.
However, towards the end of 2021 new partner visa applicants will be required to have a functional level in English which can be either an average band score of 4.5 in IELTS or an overall band score of 30 in all the four components of the PTE. Another option is for applicants to prove that they have made reasonable efforts to learn the English language. They can do this by completing 500 hours of English language classes through the AMEP.
This is a change introduced to the eligibility requirements for Australia PR in 2021.
If you are applying for an Australian PR visa and find the eligibility requirements difficult to understand, consult an immigration expert for help.
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