The Skilled - Independent visa is designed for skilled individuals with good English language abilities to migrate and fill an occupation in short supply in Australia. It requires the applicant to meet a pass mark of 120 in the skilled migration points test. It DOES NOT require sponsorship by an Australian relative or nomination by a state or territory government. This gives a permanent Residence in Australia.

The Skilled Sponsored category is designed for Skilled individuals with good English Language abilities. It requires the applicant to meet a pass mark of 100 in the skilled migration points test. This gives a permanent Residence in Australia.

This visa requires either:

1. Sponsorship by a relative living in Australia; or

2. Nomination by a state or territory government

This visa allows overseas students who have completed their course studies in the last 6 (six) months in Australia and holders of certain temporary visas to apply for permanent residency.

This visa uses a points test to select visa applicants with characteristics needed in the Australian labour market.

You do not require sponsorship to apply for this visa.

This visa allows overseas students who do not meet the criteria for a permanent General Skilled Migration visa to remain in Australia for 18 months to gain skilled work experience or improve their English language skills.

As a holder of this visa, you may apply for permanent residence at any time if you are able to meet the pass mark on the General Skilled Migration points test

This visa allows recent graduates of selected overseas universities to gain up to 18 months of skilled work experience in occupations in demand in Australia.

As a holder of this visa, you may apply for permanent residence at any time if you are able to meet the pass mark on the General Skilled Migration points test.

This visa is a 3-year provisional visa which requires the holder to live and work in regional Australia to qualify for permanent residence. Applicants must be sponsored by an Australian relative living in a designated area or nominated by a state or territory government. The pass mark for this visa is 100.

If you are married to, engaged to, or living in a de facto relationship with an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, your partner may sponsor you for migration to Australia.

The main partner visa options are as follows:

Spouse visa

Spouse visas are for people who are married or in a defacto relationship with an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible NZ citizen.

To qualify for a spouse visa on defacto grounds, you must show that you have lived with your partner for a period of at least 12 months prior to applying.

The spouse visa application leads to permanent residence, and is generally in two stages - first a temporary spouse visa is granted, then a permanent spouse visa approximately 2 years after lodgement.

Fiancee visa

The fiancee or prospective spouse visa is a 9-month temporary visa which allows applicants to travel to Australia to marry their Australian partner. Once married in Australia, you would look at applying for a spouse visa to obtain your permanent residence.

This is migration to Australia as the dependent child, orphan relative or adopted child of an Australian citizen, permanent visa holder or eligible New Zealand citizen.

The Child category is for the natural child, adopted child or stepchild of a sponsor.

The sponsor must be an Australian citizen, holder of a permanent visa or eligible New Zealand citizen. Where a child is overseas and was adopted after the sponsor became a permanent resident, they should apply under the Adopted Child category.

Note that a child can only be granted a permanent Child visa on the basis of a step relationship in circumstances where:

· the child's natural or adopted parent is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, or;

· the parent is no longer a spouse of the step parent and that step parent has been granted legal responsibility for the child by a court.

Those who can apply under the remaining relative category are people who are the brother, sister or child (or step relative to the same degree) of a person in Australia, who, if they did not migrate to Australia would otherwise be left on their own overseas.

You must be sponsored by your relative in Australia, who must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.