Throughout our website we have discussed General Skilled Migration and outlined various visa options which allow you to become a ‘Permanent Resident’. So what does this mean?

If you have a certain level of skill required in the Australian economy, i.e. have an occupation on the CSL, the Australian Government will grant you a five year “permanent residency” visa which allows you to live and work in Australia.

This program was established to enable Australia to grow with the assistance of overseas qualified workers. Once you have qualified for a Skilled Migration visa, there are no obligations to work in your particular field. The requirements to qualify for the visa are high, and if you meet those requirements, it is hoped naturally that you would work in that field once a permanent resident.

A lot of focus is given to the qualifying requirements for obtaining the permanent residency visa under the General Skilled Migration program, but not a lot is said about where you go to from permanent residency?

Once a visa is granted an initial entry date is assigned. This is the date by which a permanent resident must enter Australia to activate the visa. It is based on the date medicals and police clearances are done and therefore in most cases applicants have around 10 months to enter Australia initially after a visa is granted. This can be as a holiday initially and does not have to be the “big move”.

Once a permanent resident, the visa is valid for five years. If you have lived in Australia for at least four of those five years, then you may be eligible to apply for Australian Citizenship. Once you are an Australian Citizen you receive an Australian Passport and no longer need a visa to remain in the country.

It is not essential that you apply for Citizenship however, the alternative is applying for a Resident Return Visa (or you return home). The Resident Return Visa is another five year permanent residency visa. The requirements for this visa are NOT the same as what you have to get through for the Skilled Migration application.

Resident Return Visa criteria can vary, but essentially the easiest way to get another 5 year Resident Return Visa is to live in Australia as a permanent resident for a minimum of two years. You can apply with less time and if you have queries about this email us at migrate@australianmigrations.com

Take our FREE online assessment to see if you are eligible for the General Skilled Migration pathway.
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If you are here on a WHM, you are undoubtedly aware that if you do three months (88 days) regional work you can extend your visa by 12 months. But what type of work can you do?

The type of work that you can undertake is identified in the list below:

• Plant and animal cultivation:
  • the harvesting and/or packing of fruit and vegetable crops
  • pruning and trimming vines and trees
  • general maintenance crop work
  • cultivating or propagating plants, fungi or their products or parts
  • immediate processing of plant products
  • maintaining animals for the purpose of selling them or their bodily produce, including natural increase
  • immediate processing of animal products including shearing, butchery, packing and tanning
  • manufacturing dairy produce from raw material
• Fishing and pearling
  • conducting operations relating directly to taking or catching fish and other aquatic species
  • conducting operations relating directly to taking or culturing pearls or pearl shell
• Tree farming and felling
  • planting or tending trees in a plantation or forest that are intended to be felled
  • felling trees in a plantation or forest
  • transporting trees or parts of trees that were felled in a plantation or forest to the place where they are first to be milled or processed or from which
  • they are to be transported to the place where they are to be milled or processed
• Mining
  • coal mining
  • oil and gas extraction
  • metal ore mining
  • construction material mining
  • other non-metallic mineral mining and quarrying
  • exploration
  • mining support services
• Construction
  • residential building construction
  • non-residential building construction
  • heavy and civil engineering construction
  • land development and site preparation services
  • building structure services
  • building installation services
  • building completion services
  • other construction services
  Please note that if you have a WHM but you are over 31, you can NOT apply for the second WHM as it is a schedule 2 requirement that you are over 18 and under 31 for both the 1st and 2nd visa.
  
  If you are interested in moving from a Working Holiday Maker or Working Holiday Permit to Permanent Residency, please take our Free Online Assessment or contact us to arrange a one to one consultation.

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